The Thunder relied on him to enter the finals, but the Clippers used him to trade George back then: Does SGA make people regret it?

On May 29, 2025, the NBA Western Conference Finals came to an end. In Game 5, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Timberwolves 124-94 at home, thus advancing to the finals of the season with a total score of 4-1. As the double winner of the regular season MVP and Western Conference Final MVP this season, Shea Gilgers-Alexander's performance is perfect, and he has undoubtedly become one of the top stars in the league today.

As Alexander led the Thunder into the finals, the deal about his former parent team, the Los Angeles Clippers, was also mentioned again. In 2019, in order to facilitate Leonard's joining, the Clippers sold Alexander, Garlinari and a large number of draft picks, and exchanged Paul George from the Thunder. This deal was once considered an important step in the Clippers' formation of a championship lineup, but now it has become the object of external reflection.

Clippers' team reporter Farbod Esnaashari sighed on social media: "To be honest, if Kat had not asked to introduce George back then, the team would have left Alexander and continued to build a lineup with those first-round picks, what would the Clippers look like now?"

From a realistic perspective, such an idea is indeed imaginative. But from another perspective, Alexander's path to transformation is not accidental. At that time, he was just a potential rookie in the Clippers, and the team after Leonard joined obviously would not hand over the offensive core position to Alexander. In that case, he may not have the unlimited fire power like the Thunder, and it is even harder to have the chance to truly dominate the rhythm of the game and grow in his own way.

And the Thunder, as a team in the reconstruction period at the time, not only gave Alexander enough space, but also gave him time to hone and trial and error. From the original "potential stock" to the current "Mr. MVP", this journey is a proof of his and Thunder's achievements.

Clippers can certainly feel sorry for losing Alexander, but regret may not be necessary. It was this deal that led to their attempts to win the championship in those years with Leonard and George as the core. Although it was not successful, it could not deny the rationality of the decision at that time. But looking back today, the young man who was sent away then finally shone with the most dazzling light elsewhere.