Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue revisited the 2019 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, which will go down in history as the initial step toward reaching the franchise's first NBA championship. Now, Gilgeous-Alexander is a full-fledged reigning MVP, champion, and one of the league's emerging stars. However, looking back, Lue, who was an assistant coach for the Clippers at the time, admits he'd still trade for Paul George.
With the thought of giving Kawhi Leonard an All-Star to play alongside, Lue says he'd still trade for George, considering who he was compared to Gilgeous-Alexander's rookie season, the Clippers head coach said in an interview with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay.
“No, I didn't and we talked about it all the time, and 30 GMs or presidents, if it would have been done all over again, I would have done the trade too,” Lue said. “PG was second in MVP voting. Two-way player. It was like Jordan and Pippen. And Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] was a really good young player, but you didn't know he was gonna be this. And I think it was the best thing for Shai. He was able to grow and figure it out and have his own team.
“Anything in hindsight is 20/20. You can say I would have never done that, but who wouldn't have traded a first-year player for a guy like PG [Paul George] to team up with Kawhi? Anybody would have done that. They're lying if they're saying they wouldn't. Shai now? It's not a question, but that was a no-brainer to me,” Lue concluded.
The Thunder also received Danilo Gallinari and four future first-round picks, which ultimately led to the selection of All-Star Jalen Williams in the 2022 NBA Draft. It's a trade cited as one of the most significant trades in recent NBA history.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's dad gets honest about Clippers trade
Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's father, Vaughn Alexander, also looked back on his son's trade from the Clippers. Gilgeous-Alexander's dad reflected on his son's trade in an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints during the 2025 NBA Finals.
“When it first happened, we were a little [disappointed],” Vaughn Alexander told ClutchPoints. “Like, obviously, you get traded out of a place that you're relaxed and you're comfortable in. It's LA. The weather is hot, you got girls, everything. We'll be loving it, right? But then after a while, you start to think, ‘Wait a minute.' Because at first you're like, ‘Wait, I got traded. I love this place.' But then, when you're really sitting down and thinking about it.
“I think it was Summer League where we sat down and thought about it. I was like, ‘Shai, this is your chance to shine, bro.' This is it. This is destiny. That's what God wants for you,” Alexander concluded.
Six years later, Gilgeous-Alexander was holding the Larry O'Brien trophy in one hand and the NBA Finals MVP in the other.
