Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t see his Clippers trade coming, but it became the turning point of his career. In a segment from ‘Starting 5,’ the Thunder star recalled the shock of being dealt to Oklahoma City in 2019 and how it motivated him to prove that the Thunder were the real winners of the deal.
“I didn’t see it coming,” said Shai. “I just remember thinking to myself that I had proved I was worth the pick and a good enough basketball player to be their starting point guard. I just remember thinking like, ‘Now I have to redo it all over again with the Thunder.’ I wanted to make sure Oklahoma City felt like, when it was all said and done, that they won the trade. So it might have looked one way at the time but my main focus was to flip the script.”
Before Shai was making history in OKC, he was just a young prospect in Los Angeles with his whole career ahead of him. As the 11th overall pick in 2018, he came into the league with heightened expectations and he was determined to live up to his full potential. After a modest rookie season, where he averaged 10.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game, he was traded to the Thunder as part of the blockbuster Paul George deal.
In exchange for a star-studded duo, the Clippers had to give up a haul of assets, but their biggest loss was SGA. They didn’t know what they had at the time, but Shai thought he had earned their trust and he never suspected being dealt after his very first season. Ever since that betrayal, the star guard has made it his mission to prove that the Thunder won that trade and most fans agree that he’s right.
Over the past six seasons, Shai has developed into one of the top players in the game, and he’s coming off one of the greatest seasons in recent NBA history. In 76 games, he averaged 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game on 51.9% shooting. As the NBA’s leading scorer, he won the MVP while leading the Thunder to the best record in the league (68-14). To top it off, he carried the Thunder to the NBA Finals, where they won their first championship over the Indiana Pacers. Shai was the MVP of the series with averages of 30.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists over six games.
Meanwhile, the Clippers have been scrambling to find a solution after multiple failed seasons. The Paul George trade was a total disaster for the franchise that set them back and limited their success for several years. Today, they have nothing good to show for the SGA trade, and many suspect they are having some regrets over letting him go.
Looking back, it’s clear Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did more than just “flip the script.” What started as a shock trade turned into one of the most one-sided deals in recent NBA history. The Thunder now have a superstar and a championship to show for their patience, while the Clippers are still searching for answers. For Shai, it’s the ultimate full-circle moment, proving that the player once traded as a throw-in has become one of the defining talents of his generation.