Feb 15, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue and guard Lou Williams (23) react in the final minute of the game against the Miami Heat at Staples Center. The Clippers defeated the Heat 125-118. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Clippers Legend Shares Untold Story Amid Kevin Durant Trade Rumors

Originally posted on Los Angeles Clippers on SI
By Grant Mona | Last updated Jun 20, 2025 6:07 PM ET

Lou Williams is known as an NBA journeyman by many, but to Clippers fans and the organization, he is a legend. Williams was traded to the Clippers in a trade package from the Houston Rockets in Chris Paul's sign-and-trade in the 2017 offseason.

Williams averaged 22.6 points per game in his first season for the Clippers in the 2017-18 season and continued to be one of the most valuable players off the bench in the NBA.

During Williams' tenure with the Clippers, he won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award twice in consecutive years in 2018 and 2019, while also becoming the league's all-time leading bench scorer, surpassing Dell Curry.

Williams was a crucial part of the Clippers' 2019 playoff run that saw the team push the defending champion Golden State Warriors to six games in the first round of the playoffs.

After a rocky start to the 2021 season, Williams was traded to the Atlanta Hawks along with two second-round draft picks for Rajon Rondo. Williams recently appeared on FanDuelTV's "Run It Back" to detail what happened around the time of his trade and why it compares to what Kevin Durant is going through with the Suns.

"I'm no Kevin Durant, but at the end of my career I told the Clippers, 'If you trade me I'm gonna retire.' They outsmarted me and traded me to my hometown," Williams said.

"It just comes down to - when you're in the league for such a long time you want to be somewhere that you want to be, that you want to be comfortable...I think that's where Kevin Durant is," he continued.

"I'm no Kevin Durant, but at the end of my career I told the Clippers, 'If you trade me I'm gonna retire.' They outsmarted me and traded me to my hometown."@TeamLou23 compares KD's situation in Phoenix to his in LA ️@boogiecousins | @MichelleDBeadle | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/fuS7t9UUZH
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) June 20, 2025

Durant's trade market is heating up, and with a list of preferred destinations, it remains to be seen if the 15-time All-Star gets his preferred landing spot.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Clippers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: