The summer of 2019 in the NBA was one to behold. It was, by far, one of the more shocking offseasons in recent memory, marked by a significant amount of player movement among some of the league's top stars.
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Jimmy Butler signed a massive deal with the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Lakers traded for superstar Anthony Davis, and Kevin Durant left the Golden State Warriors to sign with the Brooklyn Nets.
It was an offseason for the ages, and while those moves were impactful, everyone was on pins and needles regarding the future of Kawhi Leonard. Leonard was coming off a historic season, leading the Toronto Raptors to their first-ever title.
Many viewed Leonard as the best player in the world, and rightfully so. The Lakers, Raptors, and Los Angeles Clippers were in the running for him, and ultimately, he signed with the Clippers.
However, it came at a price for the Clippers. To secure Leonard, they had to trade for star forward Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder received a massive haul for George, which included their rookie guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. At the time, it was a move many teams would make; however, six years later, it was considered a massive steal for the Thunder and a huge loss for the Clippers, who have yet to make a Finals appearance.
While many view the trade as a mistake from the Clippers' part, head coach Ty Lue doesn't view it that way. In a recent appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast, he stated that he would make that trade again.
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"If it had been done all over again, I'd have done the trade too," said Lue.
"PG was [third] in MVP voting, two-way player, [joining Kawhi] was like Jordan and Pippen. Shai was a really good young player, but we didn't know he'd be this.
"It was the best thing for Shai, because if he'd have stayed with the Clippers, he wouldn't have had the ball in his hands. He was able to grow and figure it out and have his own team.
"Hindsight is 20/20, and it's easy to say, 'Oh I wouldn't have done that.' But who wouldn't have traded a first-year player for a guy like PG to team up with Kawhi? Anybody would have done that. You're lying if you say you wouldn't have. Now, if Shai was Shai now, it's not a question. But that was a no-brainer for me."
At the time, the trade made sense for the Clippers. They had the squad to compete with the elite teams in the league, and the only thing they were missing was a star player to lead them over the top. In the trade, they got two.
They thought they had that in place, and so did many experts and pundits, who picked them to win the title.
Looking back at the trade, it's very easy to say the Clippers made a massive mistake.
Gilgeous-Alexander has established himself as a top player in the world and recently led the Thunder to a title while winning his first career MVP award. The Thunder are a powerhouse due to Gilgeous-Alexander's play, and the Clippers, while competitive, are nowhere near the Thunder in the title-contending category entering the season.
It's great to live life with no regret, and at least Lue doesn't regret that night in July 2019.
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