We learned last night: Kawhi Leonard will miss the start of the season because of his cursed knee. Bad news for the Clippers who have already seen Paul George leave this summer. There is therefore a scenario in which Los Angeles experiences a very complicated 2024-25 campaign, which would clearly suit the Thunder’s business. If all the planets align, Oklahoma City can absolutely recover… Cooper Flagg in the 2025 Draft.
The further we advance, the more the huge transfer of Paul George from the Thunder to the Clippers in 2019 leans in favor of Oklahoma City.
As a reminder, that summer, Los Angeles let go of a young Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five first-round draft picks (!) and two first-round pick swaps to recover PG, and at the same time convince Kawhi Leonard to sign in the City of Angels. A blockbuster trade which caused a real earthquake on the NBA planet, and which immediately made the Clippers a candidate for the title.
Five years later, the Clips have won absolutely nothing (just a first participation in the Western Conference Finals) and Steve Ballmer, the owner of the franchise, has just opened the doors to his brand new room without Kawhi or Paul George . OKC manager – Sam Presti – has a smile on his face more than ever.
OKC could add to its young core again 👀 pic.twitter.com/DUKGSpn7u6
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 18, 2024
In the famous 2019 trade involving five first-round draft picks and two pick swaps, there is that of the 2025 Draft. The Thunder indeed has the possibility of exchanging its first-round pick with that of the Clippers. In other words, if Los Angeles has a pick in the 2025 Draft Lottery after having a bad season, Oklahoma City can get it, especially since there is no protection on it.
Given Kawhi Leonard’s injury problems, the departure of Paul George, and a James Harden who is not getting any younger, it is entirely possible that the Clippers will struggle this season. Certainly the squad is quite deep, certainly Tyronn Lue is a very good coach, but the competition is such in the Western Conference that it is not too difficult to imagine Los Angeles missing the Playoffs and even the play-in. This would be synonymous with Lottery, and therefore a more or less high draft pick for the Thunder.
Current Clippers season wins odds are set at 35.5.
That total would be 9th lowest in the league. Only above Blazers and Jazz in the West.
Those results would give OKC a 96.9% chance for a Top 10 pick, 20.3% for a Top 4 pick and 4.5% of Cooper Flagg.
Harden has never missed the… https://t.co/yXL7qpn1g7
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) October 17, 2024
The 2025 NBA Draft is considered one of the strongest in recent years. Indeed, several prospects are already making scouts salivate: Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, our national Nolan Traoré, but especially Cooper Flagg. The latter is generally seen as the favorite to be called number 1 by commissioner Adam Silver next June.
If you followed closely, there is a scenario in which the Oklahoma City Thunder – best team in the West on record last year – recovers Cooper Flagg to add him to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Co. Enough to put the rest of the NBA in PLS.
The dream scenario for the Thunder (and nightmare for the Clippers)
- With Kawhi Leonard’s injury woes and the departure of Paul George, the Clippers are missing the Playoffs and even the play-in tournament this year;
- The Clippers are thus in the Lottery but their pick belongs to the Thunder (trade of Paul George in 2019);
- Oklahoma City – thanks to the Clippers – wins the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery;
- Thunder select Cooper Flagg to add to SGA, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren;
- The NBA is in PLS.
So obviously, all this is still a long way off and it will take a real alignment of planets to get that far. However, the fact that this scenario is in the domain of possible is already crazy in itself. And then, in an NBA Lottery more indecisive than ever since the new system put in place in 2019, anything seems to be able to happen. As a reminder, a few weeks ago, it was the Atlanta Hawks who won the first choice in the 2024 Draft when they finished 10th in the East with 36 wins for 46 losses.
We say that, we say nothing…
Mr.Flagg pack your bags to OKC https://t.co/00P8OKT3H1 pic.twitter.com/4JuPgnkYG6
— GilgeousSzn⛈️ (@GilgeousSZN) October 17, 2024
