How L.A. Clippers Trades Impact OKC Thunder

The Herchel Walker trade and the Paul George trade will be linked together forever. The only comparable swap to what the L.A. Clippers handed the Oklahoma City Thunder. As much as the LaLa Land Lads will justify the move given it secured the franchise Kawhi Leonard along with George, the result of their partnership does not make the outcome any better for the Clippers.

L.A. sent Oklahoma City Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who became an all-time great scorer and League MVP with eyes on his second straight honor. A historic draft haul that they still haven't paid off completely yet, that has already netted Oklahoma City All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams, who was the no. 2 scoring option on the Thunder's first-ever title team.

In the loaded 2026 NBA Draft, the Clippers are sending the Oklahoma City Thunder their unprotected pick. A selection that was one in line for the best odds at the No. 1 overall pick before a recent surge plummeted the Clippers to the 12th best odds, the exact pick Williams was grabbed with.

At Thursday's NBA Trade Deadline, the L.A. Clippers sent out star guard James Harden and pivotal big man Ivica Zubac. Two moves that make this current 25-27 squad worse. Though, these were still good reset moves by the Clippers franchise. They turned Harden into All-star guard Darius Garland, who is dealing with injuries this season and might not make an impact on the 2025-26 campaign but is a more long-term plan for the L.A. squad.

Not only did this move set the current tema back but it opened up a unique scenario. As part of the Zubac trade, the Indiana Pacers will give the Clippers their 2026 first round pick if the selection falls between No. 5-9 in the draft. Currently, the Pacers sit with the second worst record in the NBA but that is no safe bet. The NBA Draft Lottery has seen teams leap each year since the flattened odds sending at least one team expected to be in line for a top pick into that unprotected range for Indiana to give away their pick to the Clippers.

In a strange way, it actually benefits the L.A. Clippers if their pick jumps into the top four, another chance to knock the Pacers down the needed slots to earn the Clippers a lottery pick even though they would hand Oklahoma City a better selection.

The Paul George trade is a sunk cost. Nothing that the Intuit Dome Ballers do from this point forward will make the trade any less egregious, so the Clippers are forced to do what is in their best interest, even if that means losing a game.