Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Has Clear Message For LA Clippers as Potential Playoff Matchup Lingers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Svyato Rovenchuk | Last updated May 2, 2025 6:01 PM ET

Who could forget the infamous trade that sent Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers? It was one of the most one-sided trades in NBA history... favoring the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Clippers got a few good to great years out of George before he took what was left of his talents to the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer of 2024. The Thunder got everything they could have wanted, and more.

The centerpiece of why that deal has been so one-sided has not been the first-round pick haul. Well, it certainly helps too. However, the main selling point has been the emergence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as one of the NBA's brightest superstars.

Gilgeous-Alexander shares feelings on potentially matching up against his old team

It is fair to say that Gilgeous-Alexander has eclipsed the highest peak that George ever hit as a player in the NBA. That alone made this trade a clear-cut victory for the Thunder.

The MVP candidate was asked about how potentially facing the team who discarded him would make motivate him. Gilgeous-Alexander was blunt in his response.

"They did [motivate me] a long time ago. I haven't thought about them in years, though. [You] can't hold, I guess you could say grudges forever in life. ...

For whatever reason, they moved off me and they thought it was a good idea. ... Those were the cards that I was dealt and I just tried to make the best of them."

-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Should these two teams face each other in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, Gilgeous-Alexander will have an opportunity to remind the Clippers what everyone else knows whenever this trade gets brought up: they lost.

It could be a humbling experience.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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