7 for 1 big deal! Take the initiative to abandon the team s cornerstone, the most failed team in the NBA, and has not yet awakened

Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder won the NBA championship, and Alexander became the biggest winner. Not only did he win the regular season MVP, he also won the Western Conference Finals MVP and the Finals FMVP, almost achieving a Grand Slam with personal honors. This series of achievements reminds people of the shocking deal of the Clippers in the summer of 2019 - using seven assets including Alexander and multiple draft picks for Paul George. This deal is still a hot topic in the basketball circle. US media and reporters generally believe that the Clippers have suffered heavy losses in this deal and have played a bad hand of good cards.

Because of the Thunder's winning lineup, the "three young men" composed of Alexander, Jaylen Williams and Chet Holmgren became the core, and Alexander and Jayway both came from the Clippers' trading chips, especially the first round pick given by the Clippers in 222. In contrast, George, who had been introduced at a huge price, finally joined the Philadelphia 76ers after the contract expired, leaving the Clippers with almost zero returns. Although George's strength may not be worth the maximum salary today, the chips the Clippers paid for him at the beginning—including potential star Alexander and multiple draft picks—are expensive. If time goes back, will the Clippers make the same choice?

Surprisingly, the Clippers seem to have no regrets about this. According to the US media ClutchPoints, Clippers head coach Tyron Lu and team management, including president Frank and boss Ballmer, all believed that the deal was the right decision at the time.

Teren Lu said: "There is no right or wrong in that deal. In the summer of 2019, everyone was optimistic about the combination of Leonard and George, and almost no one paid attention to Alexander's potential or the value of those draft picks. Presti of the Thunder may be the only one who sees the future. If we do it again, we may still make this deal, because it was difficult for any team management to reject a rookie to trade an All-Star like George."

Teren Lu's statement seems firm, but it is also a component of self-comfort. Looking back at Alexander's growth trajectory, the mistakes in this deal are obvious. In the 2018-19 season, Alexander averaged 26.5 minutes per game in his rookie season with the Clippers, contributing 10.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists, shooting 48% from the field and 37% from three-point shooting, with an amazing efficiency. After joining the Thunder, his performance has improved rapidly, with his average score soaring to 19 points in his first season, and this season has reached 32.7 points, 5 rebounds and 6.4 assists, with a shooting percentage of 52% and a three-point shooting percentage of 37.5%. Such data performance and growth rate are enough to prove that he has become the top shooting guard and cornerstone of the league.

If the Clippers had chosen to keep Alexander, the current situation of the team might be completely different. As the core of the backcourt, Alexander is perfectly complementary to Leonard's forward offensive and defensive capabilities, and there is no conflict in position. The Clippers can also retain multiple first-round draft picks and draft swap rights, and even have the opportunity to trade James Harden when point guard is needed. Suppose the Clippers' lineup is composed of Harden (point guard), Alexander (substation guard), Leonard (small forward), Collins (power forward) and Zubac (center). This combination has both offensive firepower and defensive strength, and has a reasonable age structure - Alexander is only 27 years old this year, at his peak. In contrast, George and Leonard's forward combination overlapped in positions, and both of them had potential injuries, limiting the Clippers' chemical reaction.

In the past few years, the Clippers' playoff performance has never met expectations and failed to break through the Western Conference Finals. However, the Thunder have quickly grown into a championship-level team with the rise of Alexander and the accumulation of draft picks. The Clippers' decision-making mistakes are not only about sending off Alexander, but also about missing out on the flexibility of team building in the next few years. From a broader perspective, this deal reflects the choice between NBA teams between "winning in the present" and "investing in the future." The Clippers chose George Soha in the summer of 2019, trying to quickly hit the championship with the "Kajiao combination", which seemed reasonable at the time - especially Leonard's zero-cost contract multiplied the Clippers' confidence.

However, Thunder General Manager Presti's vision makes them the biggest winners. He not only accumulated a large number of draft assets through trading, but also had a keen eye for learning, tapped Alexander's potential, and trained him to become a top star in the league. Tyron Lu's "no regrets" remarks may be to maintain the morale of the team, but from an objective perspective, the Clippers' deal is undoubtedly one of the most failed operations in the league in recent years. If time goes back, leaving Alexander, Leonard, and supplemented by the existing lineup, the Clippers may have realized their dream of winning the championship, rather than the embarrassing situation now. Alexander's rise is not only a victory for the Thunder, but also an eternal footnote to the Clippers' decision-making mistakes.