How does Clippers' Paul George trade look amid Kawhi Leonard scandal?

The Los Angeles Clippers’ gamble in 2019 was bold, maybe even necessary at the time. 

Kawhi Leonard wouldn’t sign unless they paired him with another superstar, and Paul George was the price. Los Angeles sent a historic package of picks and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Oklahoma City. Six years later, it’s hard to argue against it being one of the worst trades in NBA history.

The Kawhi Leonard era is crumbling

The Clippers built everything around Leonard, and it has collapsed in slow motion. Leonard has played brilliant basketball in stretches, but the injuries never stopped. 

Now, the cloud is darker as the Aspiration scandal has raised real questions about his contract, with whispers around the league that if the NBA voids his deal, his playing career could be over. Even without that bombshell, reports say the Clippers are essentially "done" building around Kawhi, with him playing out his contract through 2027 and then moving on.

The nightmare is obvious. The trade was supposed to deliver banners. Instead, it leaves the Clippers with no championships, no Finals appearances and a reputation hitched to a star who may not even finish his contract in uniform. 

Unlike other franchises that could pivot to the draft, the Clippers don’t control their own first-round pick until 2030. The window slammed shut, and there’s no rebuilding path in sight.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became everything Los Angeles Clippers hoped Paul George would be

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder are living the dream. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has blossomed into exactly the kind of MVP-level guard the Clippers thought they were acquiring in George. 

At just 27, he enters the 2025-26 season as the reigning league MVP, an NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP, alongside being the face of a Thunder team set up to dominate the rest of the decade and possibly beyond. Every year that Shai rises, the Clippers’ side of the deal looks more brutal.

George himself is long gone, having signed with Philadelphia in 2024. Leonard is limping to the end. And the franchise is left with a new arena and no clear direction. For fans, the comparison is unbearable as the player the Clippers gave up is now the best in the world, while the team they built with his replacement is stuck in limbo.

The question isn’t whether the trade failed — it’s whether it stands as the single worst in league history. Brooklyn’s haul for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce once held that crown. As for L.A., the Clippers got a handful of playoff highlights and a bubble collapse. That’s it.

When Leonard's deal ends, or if it’s voided early, this chapter will close with nothing to show. In exchange, Oklahoma City received its franchise player, a mountain of draft assets and a lengthy span of relevance. That imbalance may never be topped.

The Clippers wanted to swing for a title. They ended up mortgaging their future, damaging their present and handing away a superstar who just climbed the NBA mountaintop. So yes, it might finally be time to say it out loud: the Clippers' Paul George trade is the worst in NBA history.