Doc Rivers Questioned Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Trade to Thunder: 'Are You Sure?'
The Thunder-Clippers trade in 2019 sent shockwaves throughout the NBA, and the full effect of the transaction is still being felt today. It has turned into one of the most talked about trades in the last decade, and conversations won't stop any time soon.
With the Thunder and Clippers set to square off on Thursday night, both teams are in a heated race toward the top of the Western Conference. Now that both teams are in contention, one could say the trade was a win-win. For future positioning and longevity, obviously, Oklahoma City got the better end of the deal.
OKC still has a handful of picks to use from the trade, and one of them has already been franchise-altering. Jalen Williams was selected with the Clippers No. 12 pick and is blossoming into a star next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Nobody could've predicted Gilgeous-Alexander would turn into an MVP-caliber player, but there's a reason Sam Presti demanded he was thrown into the trade.
In reality, Gilgeous-Alexander's current form plus Williams was enough to slant the infamous trade in Oklahoma City's direction. It made sense for the Clippers though, too, and still does. Trading for George allowed Kawhi Leonard to sign, and Los Angeles is still gunning for a championship four years later.
Tim MacMahon's ESPN article takes a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes of the trade, but the most interesting quote in the story might be from former head coach Doc Rivers. He was hesitant on trading Gilgeous-Alexander, and even brought his concerns to Leonard, who was pondering signing with the Clippers.
"I even brought it up to Kawhi (Leonard): 'Are you sure?'" Rivers said. "'I think Shai's going to be an amazing player. It may take a year or two, but I think you're underestimating how good Shai's going to be.'
"I didn't argue the decision or anything, but I brought it up. I just thought, is there any way we can do this deal without putting Shai in it?"
Of course, Presti had his eyes on Gilgeous-Alexander, and to trade for a superstar in the NBA, everything is on the table in talks. Rivers thinks the Thunder won the trade, but hindsight is obviously 20-20.
"If you did everything whatever amount of years later, you would never do that deal," Rivers said. "You just wouldn't. But who had a crystal ball?"
Even Paul George himself admitted that the Thunder, in theory, won the trade.
"We knew Shai was going to be really, really good, but he's special," George said after he torched the Thunder earlier this season. "And so I guess in a way, Oklahoma won that trade with picks and a future MVP."
In reality, if the Clippers win an NBA championship, any trade would've been worth it. Both teams seem happy with their returns, but Rivers saw Gilgeous-Alexander's potential early on.
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