The LA Clippers were showered with love by fellow NBA general managers, as a recent survey displayed 82% of them claim they made the best offseason moves after trading for Paul George and consequently signing Kawhi Leonard as their free agent gain.
The Clippers' hallway rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, won this very category last season, receiving 70% of the vote after acquiring free agency darling LeBron James on a four-year, $154 million deal.
The New Orleans Pelicans ranked a not-so-close second during this 2019 survey, finishing with 11% of the vote, with the Brooklyn Nets and the Utah Jazz breaking the other 7% of the votes.
NBA GMs were also most surprised by George's trade to LA, winning 52% of the general vote while the Chris Paul-Russell Westbrook trade garnered 28% of nods and Nikola Mirotic's decision to leave the Milwaukee Bucks to return to FC Barcelona was 7% of the popular vote.
George's trade was rather unforeseen and coldly calculated. The Clippers had gotten wind of his unhappiness through back channels, and proposed him as one of the many names Leonard could look at to partner with.
Leonard didn't want to scroll past him, fixating on his acquisition, which the Clips were able to pull off after giving up their greatest young talent in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, along with an NBA-record five first-round picks.
This quick-hitting series of moves shook the scope of the Western Conference, giving the Lakers a true in-town rival to worry about after two of the best two-way players are now playing under the same roof and wearing the same jersey.
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