The Oklahoma City Thunder are 21-1 and the prohibitive favorite to repeat as NBA champions this year; they also might improve dramatically this offseason. That is because the Thunder own outright the Los Angeles Clippers' first-round pick in the 2026 draft. The dark provenance of that pick is a 2019 trade between these teams in which the Thunder shed Paul George and acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the rare "future podcaster" to "future MVP" upgrade.
Now the old and miserable Clippers, who at the outset of the season were projected by ESPN to win 49.7 games, are 6-16. On-court they appear unambiguously toilet-bound. Off-court they are apparently so dysfunctional that Chris Paul couldn't even complete his retirement tour without getting fired first. That all means that Oklahoma City is now on track to select a player in the highest reaches of the lottery, from a strong draft class, six months from now. It's a result that might effectively rule out title contention for 28 other NBA franchises.
Because that presents such an existential threat to those teams, it is incumbent on all of them to improve the state of the Clippers anyway they can. Some of those teams will, regrettably but inevitably, have to make small sacrifices for the greater good. Instead of "trades" as traditionally construed, rival front offices should consider a more philanthropic model, sending over care packages of guys who could get the Clippers up to 30-ish wins. Some NBA team is going to have to take a short-term hit to fend off a frightful future, one where generational guard prospect Darryn Peterson is canning six threes a game for the Thunder and Gilgeous-Alexander no longer plays during the second half of regular-season games, en route to a 79-3 campaign.
Will it be your team that shows the requisite moral courage? If you don't want to see A.J. Dybantsa terrorizing your team's second unit a year hence while a remarkably refreshed-looking Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams do TikTok dances on the sideline, the imperative is clear. Take action now. Make a lopsided trade. Offer pro bono legal support to the Clippers franchise during this Aspiration investigation. Overpay for Kawhi Leonard. Support James Harden's more wholesome hobbies. That is NBA longtermism. The future is in your hands.
