INGLEWOOD CA – On Tuesday, as fans gathered inside the Intuit Dome for the Los Angeles Clippers draft watch party waiting for the franchise to pick 5th overall in the 2026 NBA draft, they can finally release a weight off their shoulders.
Over the past five years, the Clippers have had to watch as the Oklahoma City Thunder take their first-round picks. All those picks have led to Oklahoma City building the championship roster that led them to winning it all in 2025. This year’s draft marked the end of that obligation.
For the final time, the Clippers watched as a first-round pick headed to Oklahoma City as part of the blockbuster 2019 trade that brought Paul George to Los Angeles and helped convince reigning finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to sign with the franchise.
The deal, which sent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks and two pick swaps to Oklahoma City, became one of the most lopsided trades in modern NBA history.
For the Clippers organization, the significance was far beyond one pick changing hands. It represented the closing chapter of a seven-year period in which the franchise’s roster-building decisions were often made with limited control over its own future. For fans it marked the end of a forgettable era of Clippers basketball, and the beginning of a fresh start with high expectations.
Benjamin Zion, a longtime Clippers fan, couldn’t be more ecstatic about not only having the 5th overall pick but finally putting the George trade in the rearview mirror.
“At the time the Paul George trade was sensational. I was so excited but as the years have gone on the con’s have outweighed the pro’s,” said Zion. “With the obligation finally being over we can finally have a true rebuild that can make the Clippers a championship team.”
While Los Angeles has spent recent years attempting to remain competitive around Leonard and a veteran core, the inability to fully control its draft assets created challenges that influenced everything from trade negotiations to committing to long term contracts in free agency.
The original trade was viewed as a necessary gamble. George had just finished third in MVP voting, Leonard was coming off a championship with the Toronto Raptors, and the Clippers suddenly transformed from a first round playoff team into a title contender. The results, however, never matched the expectations.
In five seasons that the duo played together the closest they got to an NBA championship was a 2021 Western Conference finals appearance. The first in the franchise’s history but for the cost of what the Thunder would get in return, one Western Conference Finals appearance proved to be disappointing in five seasons together.
When on the court together the duo made the Clippers a winning roster, compiling a regular season record of 124-57 and 13-13 in the playoffs. However, injuries would plague both players throughout their Clippers tenure, halting the potential of what could have been a superstar duo leading a championship team.
George would go on to miss 127 regular season games and eight playoff games due to multiple injuries and COVID-19 protocols.
Leonard has been even less available as he has missed a total of 214 regular season games and 21 playoff games due to various injuries since joining the Clippers in 2019. The lack of availability on the court from both players made this blockbuster trade a chance at an NBA championship to a failed experiment between superstars.
While on the other end, Gilgeous-Alexander has become a premier player in the league. He’s an NBA champion. He’s a two-time league MVP while every first-round pick became a valuable depth piece to a championship roster for OKC.
The Clippers now face several possible paths moving forward. They can continue building around the new veteran core of Leonard and Darius Garland in pursuit of a championship, using future picks as trade assets.
They can explore a Leonard trade to offload his salary to create cap flexibility to prioritize younger players and gradually reshape the roster. Or they can pursue a hybrid approach that balances short-term competitiveness with long-term sustainability.
Whatever direction they choose, the organization’s front office enters the future with far greater freedom, flexibility, and confidence than what they’ve felt in the past seven seasons.
The 2026 NBA draft for the Clippers organization will not be remembered solely for the selection of Keaton Wagler, the franchise’s first top five pick in nearly fifteen years. Rather it will ultimately be remembered as the night the franchise regained ownership of its future.
“Good riddance to the Thunder finally not taking our future away, it’s been a long seven years,” said Jonas, longtime Clipper fan. “It’s a celebration tonight knowing this is the end of that horrible Paul George trade we made, and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Jonas said.
Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George (3) shoots over the outstretched defense of Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis in NBA playoff action. Photo credit: Michael Lark/News4usonline
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