The Los Angeles Clippers went all in for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the summer of 2019. It looked like the kind of gamble a franchise has to take if it wants to escape decades of irrelevance. Years later, the reality is brutal: only one Western Conference Finals appearance, and a future that looks like purgatory. At the time, the Clippers thought they pulled off a masterstroke. Leonard had led the Toronto Raptors to a title in 2019, and by trading for George, they secured a superstar duo that instantly made them contenders. The cost was massive: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks and two pick swaps. It felt steep, but the logic was clear: championship windows don’t open often. However, SGA turned into everything the Clippers had hoped for with George — he’s an NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP and the leader of the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC built a dynasty with the assets the Clippers gifted them, while L.A. is left with nothing. Paul George walked i
