"You're trapped" - NBA analyst points out how Kawhi Leonard's injury could potentially hand OKC Cooper Flagg-worthy lottery pick
While the news regarding Kawhi Leonard is painful for the LA Clippers, it could end up benefitting the OKC Thunder. When the Clippers traded for Paul George in 2019, they sent a treasure trove of picks to the Thunder. Part of the deal included a pick swap for the 2025 NBA Draft.
This means that the Clippers are basically in a lose-lose situation. Analyst Kevin O'Connor explained on his podcast, "The Kevin O'Connor Show," why the Clippers are basically trapped.
Here is what O'Connor said about the Clippers' potentially grim future:
"The Western Conference is so deep, there's gonna be at least one good team that will miss the Play-in," O'Connor said. "For the Clippers, they're already on that bubble as a Play-in team."
O'Connor shared that the Clippers weren't even considered a legitimate threat to win the title even before the announcement regarding Leonard. He then proceeded to explain why tanking won't work:
"The scary thing if you're a Clippers fan right now, and you know this if you're a Clippers fan. Because of the Paul George trade, you're trapped," O'Connor added. "You can't decide, 'we'll trade (James) Harden, we'll tank it out, we'll try to get Cooper Flagg.' You don't have your lottery pick, the Thunder do."
While Kawhi Leonard's injury does not necessarily guarantee that the Clippers will fall into the lottery, it could mean that they're in for a rough season. Ending up in the bottom of the league in terms of standings would mean that they are handing the Thunder another young player to add to their young core.
Also read: NBA insider views Clippers as '20-win' team amid Kawhi Leonard's injury troubles and James Harden steering ship
What did the LA Clippers include in the trade when they paired Kawhi Leonard with Paul George?
2019 was an optimistic time for the Clippers. During that summer, Kawhi Leonard chose to sign with them after winning a title with the Toronto Raptors. On the same day, they also acquired Paul George via trade with the Thunder.
The Clippers gave up a young, promising star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a veteran scorer in Danilo Gallinari. Additionally, they had to let go of several picks.
Their first-round picks for 2022, 2024, and 2026 were part of the trade package. It also included a 2021 first-round pick from the Miami Heat. Lastly, the Thunder earned the right to swap picks in 2025.
Today, it looks like the Thunder won the trade. George is no longer with the Clippers, while SGA has blossomed into an MVP candidate for the Thunder.
OKC also did a magnificent job with using the picks they acquired. They drafted Tre Mann with the 2021 Heat pick and then they picked Jalen Williams with the Clippers' 2022 first-round pick.
Mann was traded to the Charlotte Hornets for other assets while Williams is looking like a star. Last season, he averaged 19.1 points per game, which was the second-highest on the Thunder behind SGA's 30.1 per game.