The Los Angeles Clippers had their big day on Wednesday, presenting newly acquired wings Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the latter of which was previously a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
While some reports indicate Magic Johnson impacted Leonard’s decision regarding the free agency process, the Thunder striking a deal with the Clippers has been seen as the linch-pin in the team signing the 2019 NBA Finals MVP. Leonard’s desire to play with another star, specifically George, gave Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti some level of power in discussions, resulting in a historic haul for the Thunder.
While the amount of draft picks Oklahoma City received initially garnered the most attention, the team received two current NBA players: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari.
Gallinari is a proven talent in the league, though give the Thunder’s new approach, now entering a rebuild, his acquisition doesn’t seem to fall in line with the team’s current set of goals.
However, Gilgeous-Alexander enters his sophomore NBA season in 2019-20 after proving his worth and potential as a Clippers rookie.
In the midst of introducing Los Angeles’ new dynamic duo, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank mentioned Gallinari is “already a high performer,” and gave Gilgeous-Alexander even greater praise:
Shai is going to be a special player in this league.
