Revisiting 5 recent terrible trades ahead of the deadline

The Paul George trade

While the damage is still being assessed in the Gobert trade, we already have a better idea of the damage from the Clippers-Oklahoma City Thunder deal. Three and a half years after making the blockbuster trade that netted them Paul George and paved the way for signing Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers have no title to show for it. While they have managed to build a very deep roster, both George and especially Leonard have struggled to stay healthy.

That limits their ceiling, as does giving up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and five first-round picks. While the Clippers technically still have time to win a championship and lessen the sting of giving up that historic haul, they have yet to see a full return on their significant investment. After all, they are only three games above .500 more than halfway through the season, and the odds of them winning a championship this season appear slim.

If the Clippers fail to make noise in the postseason yet again, they may eventually have to look at breaking this team up. Especially since they are one of the most expensive teams in the NBA and have few options for improvement because the Clippers mortgaged their future to the Thunder.

Meanwhile, the Thunder, which went into rebuild mode after trading George, are only a few games behind the Clippers in the standings and led by Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s emerged as a superstar this season.

This is without number two overall pick Chet Holmgren, who, with a slew of other developing players like Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey, could help the Thunder quickly overtake the Clippers next season, even with George and Leonard. Therefore, this trade ranks as the worst trade of the last five years.