NBA Swing: The Second-Worst Trade in NBA History

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When it comes to trades in the NBA, many argue the worst trade of all time is the 2013 trade between the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets. In the summer of 2013, Boston and Brooklyn made the following trade:

Boston Receives:

Keith Bogans
MarShon Brooks
Kris Humphries
Kris Joeseph
Gerald Wallace
Three unprotected first-round picks (2014, 2016, 2018)
The right to swap first-round picks with the Nets in 2017

Brooklyn Receives:

Paul Pierce
Kevin Garnett
Jason Terry
D.J. White
2017 first-round pick

This trade would directly lead to the Celtics’ 18th championship in 2024, as Boston was able to use Brooklyn’s 2016 first-round pick to draft Jaylen Brown and used the 2017 first-round swap to draft Jayson Tatum. While some have argued that the 2025 Luka Doncic trade is the next worst trade, the 2024-25 season and playoffs have shown that the second-worst trade of all time is the 2019 Paul George trade.

In the 2019 offseason, the Los Angeles Clippers would make the following trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder:

Los Angeles Clippers Receive:

Paul George

Oklahoma City Thunder Receive:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Danilo Gallinari
Miami Heat’s 2021 unprotected first-round pick (Tre Mann picked at No. 18)
Clippers’ 2022 unprotected first-round pick (Jalen Williams picked at No. 12)
Right to swap 2023 first-round pick with Clippers (not conveyed)
Clippers’ 2024 unprotected first-round pick
Heats’ 2025 protected first-round pick (1-14, unprotected for 2026)
Right to swap 2025 first-round pick with Clippers
Clippers’ 2026 unprotected first-round pick

For the Los Angeles Clippers, trading for Paul George would help them land Kawhi Leonard, who just came off winning the 2019 NBA Championship with the Toronto Raptors. George, who just had a career-year with the Thunder, averaging 28.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 4.1 APG, would finish third in MVP voting. A couple of years past their Lob City era and title contention, this trade would immediately make the Clippers title contenders.

For the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was the end of an era. With the Thunder’s original big three of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden failing to win a championship and their superstar duo of Westbrook and George failing early in the playoffs, the Thunder accepted that this version of the team would not win a championship. The Thunder would trade Westbrook shortly after trading George.

The superstar duo of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard would blow a 3-1 lead in the 2020 playoffs, lose in the 2021 Western Conference Finals after losing Kawhi Leonard to an ACL tear in the second round, would miss the playoffs in 2022 with George missing over half the season and Leonard missed the entire season, and would lose in the first round of the playoffs in 2023 and 2024. George would leave the Clippers in the summer of 2024 to join the Philadelphia 76ers. The most success the two had together would be their 2020 Western Conference Finals appearance.

For the Thunder, the 2019-20 season would be a down year but not a true rebuild with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander blossoming under the tutelage of Chris Paul. The Thunder would lose in the first round and would choose to move on from Paul in the offseason. SGA would see a significant rise in scoring, nearly doubling his output. Over the next two seasons, the Thunder would drop to the bottom of the West.

During the 2022 NBA draft, the Thunder would use the Clippers’ pick to draft Jalen Williams. The 2022-23 season would see the Thunder jump from 24 wins the previous season to 40 that season, barely missing out in the playoffs with Williams finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. The 2023-24 season would see SGA finish second in MVP voting, putting up career numbers. Despite finishing first in the West with 57 wins, the team would fall short in the second round of the playoffs.

The 2024-25 season would be the true breakout season for SGA and the Thunder. SGA would put up a career-high 32.7 PPG, 6.4 APG, and 5.0 RPG, leading his team to 68 wins. Jalen Williams would land his first All-Star nod in year three, putting up career-highs in points, rebounds, and assists. SGA would lead this team through the playoffs and to the Thunder’s first final appearance in 13 years, winning Western Conference Finals MVP at the same time. SGA and Williams would both make an All-NBA team with Williams also making an All-Defensive team.

For the Thunder, the 2019 Paul George trade has directly brought them to the 2025 NBA Finals, with OKC being the heavy favorites to win the championship. The Thunder now have a chance to win the championship that the big three of Durant, Westbrook and Harden, and the duo of Westbrook and George couldn’t. Win or lose, the Thunder will still be receiving picks from the trade, having the right to swap picks in the 2025 draft and having the Clippers’ unprotected pick in 2026.

For the Clippers, they have nothing to show for the Paul George trade. A trade that made the team contenders, injuries played a significant role in the Clippers playoff woes between 2020 and 2024. Even when both players were healthy, they could not reach the championship many believed they were destined to. When the 2019 Paul George trade is finally complete, the OKC Thunder will have gotten one of the best returns in what is arguably one of the best trades in NBA history.