Category: Basketball

Basketball News

Posted on

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama staying at Shaolin temple in China for a few days

Victor Wembanyama is in China, and it's not all about vacation.

The San Antonio Spurs star is in the midst of what's expected to be a 10-day stay at a Shaolin temple in Zhengzhou, China. The temple is a place that welcomes visitors who wish to study Chan meditation, Shaolin Kung Fu, traditional Chinese medicine and more.

The NBA China office confirmed that Wembanyama is at the temple, and some Chinese media also confirmed his presence there with the temple itself. “Concentrate on training!” read part of a social media post on the NBA's Weibo account, which also revealed the plans for a 10-day stay.

Then again, the secret was getting out through other social media means anyway.

Some photos of Wembanyama with a shaved head - it wasn't shaved when he arrived in China - and wearing a robe similar to the other monks began widely circulating this week. One of the photos showed the 7-foot-4 center sitting on a Chinese style chair in front of multiple Buddha sculptures.

There evidently was some sightseeing going on earlier in the trip as well.

“Victor Wembanyama, live from China, on the Great Wall itself, having an amazing time. It's crazy," he said on a video posted to Instagram by the Spurs' account and others.

Wembanyama is expected back in the U.S. in the coming weeks and likely will be with the Spurs' delegation that goes to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas next month. The Spurs, like many teams, often have many players on their NBA roster with the summer league team for various events.

The 21-year-old Frenchman led the NBA in blocked shots during the regular season, despite his season ending in February - just after his first All-Star Game appearance - because of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. The Spurs are hopeful that he will be able to play when next season begins, and the French national team also has expressed hope that Wembanyama will be able to play for his country at this summer's European championships.

Wembanyama was the league’s rookie of the year last season and was widely expected to be a front-runner in this season's defensive player of the year race. He attempted 403 3-pointers and blocked 176 shots this season - no player in NBA history has ever finished a season with those numbers - and he was averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.7 assists when the DVT was detected.

The only other player in NBA history to finish a season averaging all those numbers was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975-76.

Posted on

DeMarcus Cousins suspended for remainder of Puerto Rican league season after confrontation with fans

DeMarcus Cousins

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins watches the final minutes of the game against the San Antonio Spurs from the bench after fouling out of during the second half of an NBA basketball game a in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2012. The Spurs won 127-102.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

AP

It's 2025, DeMarcus Cousins has been out of the NBA for three years, yet we're still talking about him beefing with fans.

Cousins was playing for Mets de Guaynabo in the Puerto Rican Professional Basketball League — "was" because he has been suspended from the league for the remainder of the season and fined $4,250 for a "disqualifying foul, a technical foul, and acts that incite violence or provocation," fines that could jump up to $10,000 if Cousins cannot "show cause" as to why he should not be fined more, reports, Baloncesto Superior Nacional.

Videos of the confrontations went viral. First, there was an incident with a fan courtside.

When Cousins was ejected, he went back to the locker room, and on the way, fans threw their drinks on him, which led him to try an go after those fans.

While the behavior of those fans was more aggressive than anything Cousins would have seen in his 11 NBA seasons, no league is going to let physically attacking fans go unpunished.

Cousins played in 11 NBA seasons, averaging 19.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, being a four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA player.

Posted on

Pacers need more from Tyrese Haliburton in Game 3, but that’s more than simply scoring

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana struggled to score in the first half of Game 2 against the swarming Oklahoma City defense, putting up just 41 points on 34.9% shooting, including shooting just 46.2% in the paint. The problems started with their all-everything point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, who shot just 2-of-7 through three quarters, with not one of those attempts coming in the paint.

That's happened to the Pacers a handful of times this season and in the playoffs — most notably Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks, when he had 8 points on 2-of-7 shooting for the game. In the face of intense defensive pressure, Haliburton defers to teammates — if the defense is loading up on him, someone else has to be open. His instinct is to find that open man.

As fans, we have been conditioned to expect our stars to attack in the face of that pressure — people want Haliburton to go Kobe and start shooting over triple-teams. People want him to be like Mike. Be selfish and pull his team up with him.

That's not how Haliburton is wired. That's not the Pacers' formula.

That's Indiana's dilemma for Game 3 and the rest of the series: The Pacers need more Haliburton, but it can't be just scoring. He's not going to go out and jack up 25 shots Wednesday night in Game 3 — he hasn't taken more than 23 in any game this season. Indiana thrives when Haliburton is setting the table and everyone is eating, but he's got to eat more, too.

Thunder pressure defense

Haliburton's challenge starts with the problem 28 other teams have faced this season: Oklahoma City's physical, high-pressure defense.

"They got more guys than most teams in the NBA that are high level at the point of attack," Haliburton said. "They're really connected on the defensive end. I feel like they mix up coverages. I think coach [Mark] Daigneault isn't afraid to do things on the fly. He doesn't do everything that's like very traditional…

"I think the biggest thing is just personnel. Their personnel is different than everywhere else."

"We've got guys that are hard to screen either because of strength or quickness or both," Daigneault said. "[Lu] Dort comes to mind. [Alex] Caruso comes to mind. [Jalen Williams] comes to mind. Cason Wallace, for sure. They're good pursue guys. Having guys at the rim is helpful [Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein]. You can't spring downhill and assume there's something good there for you. Hopefully, the help is deterring that to a degree."

Haliburton and other Pacers mentioned leaning into watching the film of Game 2 (and the first half of Game 1), seeing what didn't work, and what worked better in the fourth quarter of Game 2 (when Haliburton scored 12 points and looked more like himself, but it was too little to late). "The answers always lie in the film," Haliburton said.

Pacers mixing it up

When discussing the Thunder defense, Haliburton employed phrasing typically reserved for describing how to slow down an elite offensive player.

"You can't give these guys the same dosage, the same look of anything," Haliburton said. "If you try to run high pick-and-roll all game, they just crawl into you, really pack the paint, nothing is open. There's got to be a mix of things. Got to be off the ball, playing off the pitch, coming off ball screens. You can't run the same thing consistently against these guys. You got to mix it up.

"We got to do a much better job of that. I feel like I probably got caught in too many high pick-and-rolls where they can really pack it in and end up getting shots late against the clock, especially the first half of both games."

To a man, the Pacers talked about getting the ball into the paint more and working inside-out to get their attempts, as they have done all season. It also could mean a little more Pascal Siakam with the ball in his hands for the Pacers.

"[Siakam is] one of the few guys on their team that really looks for isolation to score. A lot of other guys, it's through the flow of their offense and pace," Caruso said.

Whatever the Pacers do to adjust, it won't change how the Thunder want to play.

"My approach will be the same. Our approach will be the same," Dort said.

Indiana is going to come out at home Wednesday night in a critical Game 3 (with the series tied 1-1) and throw its best punch — and that punch has to have Haliburton shooting more.

Just not too much.

Posted on

Kirk Cousins: Obviously you'd love to play, but that's not the situation I'm in

Kirk Cousins is now prepared to stick with the Falcons.

Cousins spoke to reporters after Atlanta's minicamp practice on Tuesday, saying that he's going to support second-year QB Michael Penix however he can.

"Obviously, you would love to play," Cousins said, via Tori McElhaney of the team’s website. "But I am not going to dwell on things that are not reality. That's not the situation I am in. So, it's better spent to be focused on the situation I am in, controlling what you can control. I think that is the right mindset to have.”

While Cousins confirmed that he and the team had conversations about trading him. But at this point, those talks are over.

“We are moving forward now,” Cousins said.

And what’s Cousins’ ideal situation for 2025?

"Right now it's being in the situation I am in and being the best I can. And hopefully in February, we — as an organization — are holding up the Lombardi Trophy," Cousins said. "And how we do that is more important as a team that we do that, some way, some how. That's where the focus has to be: That we as an organization win a championship and each one of us individually has to do our part in that to get there.”

Having signed a four-year deal with the Falcons last year, Cousins is set to make $27.5 million in base salary in 2025. Unless there’s an injury or an unexpected change elsewhere, Cousins will earn that with Atlanta.

Posted on

Knicks have interest in trading for Kevin Durant: report

The Knicks, who are searching for a head coach to replace the fired Tom Thibodeau, are about to embark on an offseason where they try to add the finishing pieces to a roster that just finished two games shy of reaching the NBA Finals.

Could one of those pieces be a former MVP and all-time great?

According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, "the Knicks are definitely a team that is gonna have some interest in Kevin Durant. There are going to be a handful of them."

As far as what it would take for the Knicks to pry KD from the Suns?

"The way the Knicks get this done is Karl-Anthony Towns," Windhorst said. "It has to do with the trade rules. It has to do with stuff like that. The Knicks would have to trade three rotation players otherwise. Just keep that in mind when you dream of your Knicks trades."

Durant, who will turn 37 in September, has one year left on his contract -- with a cap hit of $54.7 million during the 2025-26 season.

He is set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season.

Towns, 29, is under contract for three more seasons. He has a cap hit of $53.1 million next season. That hit escalates to $57 million in 2026-27, and $61 million in 2027-28.

New York trading three seasons of Towns for one season of Durant would seem odd, unless they have a desire to clear Towns' contract off their books.

Durant, while nearing the tail end of his career, is still a dynamic player.

He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 62 games this season for the Suns.

Posted on

Ex-NBA star DeMarcus Cousins ejected after ugly fracas with fans in Puerto Rico

Drafted fifth overall in 2010, DeMarcus Cousins has been playing overseas since his last NBA appearances in the 2021–22 season with Denver and Milwaukee.Photograph: Gene Wang/Getty Images

DeMarcus Cousins was ejected from a game in Puerto Rico on Monday night after a heated confrontation with a courtside fan and a hostile exit that nearly escalated into chaos.

The 34-year-old former NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist, now playing for Mets de Guaynabo in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN), got into a verbal altercation with a fan during a timeout in the fourth quarter.

Video shows Cousins grabbing his crotch at the fan, who responded by flipping him off. Cousins then appeared to lunge at the man before teammates stepped in.

Officials ejected Cousins, but the situation worsened as he left the court. Fans booed and threw drinks and food as Cousins shouted back and flipped his middle finger at the crowd.

At one point, Cousins lunged toward the stands and had to be physically restrained by teammates and security. The moment drew instant comparisons to the infamous Malice at the Palace incident in 2004, though no further violence occurred.

Security eventually escorted Cousins to the locker room, soaked in beer and visibly agitated.

No formal discipline had been announced as of Tuesday. BSN officials are reviewing the incident.

Cousins returned to Guaynabo this season after playing in Taiwan and Mongolia. He first joined the Mets in 2023.

Drafted fifth overall in 2010, Cousins was a dominant NBA big man for much of the 2010s. He averaged 19.6 points and 10.2 rebounds over 11 seasons and made four straight All-Star teams.

Injuries, including a torn achilles and ACL, derailed his career. His last NBA appearances came in the 2021–22 season with Denver and Milwaukee.

Since then, Cousins has continued playing internationally. His return to the BSN this year was seen as a chance to revive his profile.

That opportunity may now be in jeopardy. The Mets have not commented on whether Cousins will face further punishment or remain with the team. BSN president Ricardo Dalmau is expected to address the matter this week.

Posted on

Extend him? Trade him? Atlanta Hawks have a Trae Young decision this summer

The Atlanta Hawks have always chosen Trae Young. They chose him the night he was drafted, trading Luka Doncic for him. They chose him again as recently as last summer, when Atlanta traded Dejonte Murray to New Orleans and kept Young as the core of its backcourt.

This summer, that could change.

New Hawks new general manager Onsi Saleh — as well as the just-added Bryson Graham (senior vice president of basketball operations) and Peter Dinwiddie (senior vice president of strategy and analytics) — have a decision to make about Young, and by extension the future direction of the Hawks.

Young is eligible for a four-year, $228.6 million max extension this offseason. Do the Hawks pay that, do they try to get Young to re-sign for a smaller amount, or do they look to trade him and retool the roster around their younger stars Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher? The Hawks also could push this decision back, those extension decisions available this summer will still be available all season and up through June 30 of 2026 (the risk by next summer is Young declining his player option and becoming a free agent, potentially leaving for nothing).

Young said during the season what he wants is to win.

“I wanna win… if that’s in Atlanta, that’s where I wanna be," Young said.

Young was an All-Star last season averaging 24.2 points and a league-best 11.6 assists a game while shooting 34% from beyond the arc, but also had a league-high 355 turnovers (4.7 a game), and he is a minus defender targeted by other teams. He is viewed around the league as a good player, but one who puts a ceiling on how good your team can be. However last season we started to see Young evolve his game some, he tried harder on defense, and he worked a little more off ball, positive steps we could see grow.

No max, but also no trade?

First, it's nearly impossible to envision the Hawks re-signing Young for the maximum. This is a team that, if it re-signs players such as Clint Capela and Caris LeVert, would be flirting with the luxury tax, something ownership is highly unlikely to want to pay for a 40-42 team that didn't advance past the play-in. Max out Young and that new management is going to limit its roster-building options in future years because they will be flirting with the tax.

As for trading Young, while those rumors are popular on NBA Twitter, they go nowhere with NBA front offices. Fans tried to link him to San Antonio for a long time, but the Spurs traded for DeAaron Fox (and are about to draft Dylan Harper at No. 2). Zach Lowe said it best on his Ringer podcast.

"I don't think there's a great market for him. So I don't think there's a trade out there that completely just reorients the franchise in a positive way."

That leaves two options. The first is to get Young to sign a more team-friendly contract. ESPN’s Bobby Marks threw out a three-year, $120 million extension, which feels about right. That's a $40 million per season contract ($17 million a year less than the maximum) and a shorter term, which has Young back on the market at age 29. It's also a more tradable contract in a year if the Hawks (or Young) want to go that route.

The other option is to postpone any decision and see how this season plays out, then make a call. If Johnson remains healthy throughout the season and the Hawks add depth through the draft and with the mid-level exception, this could be a team pushing for a top-six seed. After that, both sides might be more interested in a below-max contract extension (and if things go poorly, the ability to part ways is easier).

It's Saleh and the new front office's first major decision, and it will give us a good idea of the direction they plan to take the team in the coming years.

Posted on

Celtics draft fits: Could Duke's Sion James make Aaron Nesmith-like impact?

Celtics draft fits: Could Duke's Sion James make Aaron Nesmith-like impact? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

There’s no such thing as having too many good wing defenders in the modern NBA. If you look at the top 15 or 20 players in the sport, many of them are wings.

Therefore, it is essential for teams to fill their roster with players who can guard these shot-making shooting guards, small forwards and power forwards. The Boston Celtics were fortunate to have several high-quality wing defenders on their roster over the last two-plus seasons, but that could change going into the 2025-26 campaign.

For starters, Jayson Tatum — an excellent wing defender — is recovering from an Achilles tear and could miss most or all of next season. If the Celtics try to get under the second apron of the luxury tax, that could potentially involve trading a strong wing defender such as Jrue Holiday.

Regardless of what offseason moves are made, adding a 3-and-D wing who can take on tough defensive assignments would be a nice boost for Boston’s roster.

More Celtics best draft fits:

The Celtics own the No. 28 overall pick in the first round and the second pick (No. 32 overall) in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft.

One player who fits the 3-and-D mold and should be available when the Celtics pick in the second round is Duke guard Sion James.

Learn more about James and his potential fit with the C’s below:

Sion James’ bio

  • Position: Guard
  • Height: 6-foot-6
  • Weight: 220
  • Birthdate: Dec. 4, 2002
  • Birthplace: Sugar Hill, Georgia
  • College: Duke

Sion James’ collegiate stats

  • 2024-25 (w/Duke): 8.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists per game, 51.6 field goal percentage (39 games)
  • 2023-24 (w/Tulane): 14 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists per game, 51.4 field goal percentage (31 games)
  • 2022-23 (w/Tulane): 9.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists per game, 48.3 field goal percentage (31 games)
  • 2021-22 (w/Tulane): 7.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists per game, 40.9 field goal percentage (29 games)
  • 2020-21 (w/Tulane): 5.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists per game, 43.1 field goal percentage (23 games)

Sion James’ collegiate accolades

  • 2025 ACC All-Defensive Team

Sion James’ highlights

Why Sion James fits with Celtics

James could be an effective 3-and-D player for the Celtics. He improved his 3-point shooting each of the last two seasons, hitting a career-high 41.3 percent of his attempts last season with the Blue Devils.

Defense is probably his best skill. He’s a 6-foot-6 wing who can guard and switch onto multiple positions, along with a high basketball IQ. He plays with physicality and doesn’t back down from a challenge.

Our Celtics insider Chris Forsberg sees James as someone who could step in and play right away, which would be valuable for a veteran team such as Boston.

“Sion James has a dose of toughness who can guard multiple positions,” Forsberg said, as seen in the video player above. “Transferring from Tulane to Duke, James improved his 3-point shooting from 38 percent to 41 percent as a senior. He has the college experience to come in as a mature player ready for an immediate role.

“With size to hold his ground, some have compared him to Aaron Nesmith, who has been essential to Indiana’s run to the NBA Finals. If James’ shot falls in the pros, he could be a steal in the second round.”

Posted on

Stay or Go: Should the Knicks re-sign Cam Payne?

One of the Knicks' unrestricted free agents this summer is veteran point guard Cam Payne, who joined the team last summer on a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract. Payne was coming off his ninth year and sixth team in the league, and earned himself the backup point guard position out of preseason despite Miles McBride coming off a career year and New York drafting another point guard in Tyler Kolek.

You know what you’re getting from Payne at this point: a steady handle, high-paced, immediate energy off the bench -- and when he’s hot, some big bucket-getting. He won’t be in the upper echelon of backup ones but can help round out a bench unit as a reliable floor general. 

This is about what he provided. Payne averaged 6.9 points and 2.8 assists on 45.3 percent shooting from two and 36.3 percent shooting from three in 15 minutes a game. 

His on/off splits were strong in large part due to cohesive bench lineups withKarl-Anthony Towns. He had a nice stretch in November with six double-figure scoring nights in seven games, and the Knicks went 4-1 when he had to fill in as a starter due to injuries or end-of-season rest. 

The highlight of his season was a huge 14-point game in Game 1 against the Detroit Pistons, helping the Knicks go on a 21-0 run to come back and take opening control of the series. Unfortunately, these scant bright spots were mere flashes in an otherwise shaky campaign.

Payne was predictably a defensive sieve, and saw his minutes decrease as the regular season went on. He’d get benched in second halves if his jumper wasn’t falling, which happened often. 

New York Knicks guard Cameron Payne (1) gestures after making a three point shot against the Detroit Pistons in Game One of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden
New York Knicks guard Cameron Payne (1) gestures after making a three point shot against the Detroit Pistons in Game One of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden / Wendell Cruz - Imagn Images

Former head coach Tom Thibodeau never looked to move him out of his rotation spot, even with Kolek in tow and then Delon Wright joining at the trade deadline. That is until the playoffs, when the Knicks went down 0-2 to Indiana and Payne had accumulated a 23.8 percent clip from three and -30 plus-minus outside of that Game 1 outburst. 

There were plenty of opportunities for this change earlier in the postseason or during the regular season. It wasn’t Payne’s fault he was relied upon so heavily despite his struggles, but a new coach could give him a more situational role, which would benefit him and the team -- should the Knicks choose to bring him back.

If he won’t be overplayed, there’s no harm in bringing him back as a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency reserve guard. The right coach will prioritize developing their prospect point guard and playing less harmful veterans consistent minutes -- so just having Payne there in case of injuries would be fine.

It’s hard to imagine a giant market out there for his services. Smaller, score-first point guards are plentiful and not super attractive right now, and he didn’t have any kind of breakout season to warrant more than another veteran’s minimum deal. 

Perhaps a contender throws an apron mid-level his way, in which case the Knicks are fine to let him walk. They could focus on retaining Wright, who had better and more sustainable postseason minutes, or give Kolek more burn. 

If Payne is willing to return on the veteran’s minimum, there are worse 11th and 12th guys out there, assuming a new coach treats him as such. His bench presence and chemistry with his teammates makes him a value add as a Ryan Arcidiacono type.

Posted on

Could Celtics pursue Nigel Hayes-Davis? Mazzulla scouts EuroLeague star

Could Celtics pursue Nigel Hayes-Davis? Mazzulla scouts EuroLeague star originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Nigel Hayes-Davis. Why does that name sound so familiar?

Our brain immediately started churning Monday when a report from EuroHoops noted that Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was spotted at the Turkish League Finals, seemingly to watch Hayes-Davis compete for Fenerbahce.

A quick check of our notes detailed nearly a full decade of interest between Hayes-Davis and the Celtics. And while Boston most certainly has bigger roster issues to navigate this summer, it’s fair to wonder in these late June doldrums if the now-30-year-old Hayes-Davis could be a low-cost option for Boston’s frontcourt.

Mazzulla, no stranger to offseason international travel, likely had more reasons to check out a high-stakes EuroLeague matchup beyond Hayes-Davis, but it also highlights how the team is searching all corners of the globe for talent.

The Celtics first hosted Hayes-Davis on a draft workout in May 2016. He was one of 12 players who participated in a split-group workout that day. Others that visited for those sessions: Malcolm Brogdon, Josh Hart, DeAndre Bembry, Taurean Prince, Jake Layman, and Abdel Nader, whom the Celtics ultimately tabbed with the 58th pick in the 2016 draft.

Hayes-Davis withdrew from the 2016 NBA Draft to return to Wisconsin for his senior season, then went undrafted in 2017. His pro journey actually started with the Westchester Knicks in the G-League, where Luke Kornet was a teammate. The 6-foot-8 Hayes-Davis appeared in nine NBA games with three teams (Lakers, Raptors, and Kings) during that 2017-18 season before taking his game overseas.

In 2021, reports suggested there was interest between the Celtics and Hayes-Davis, but nothing ever materialized. Nine years after that draft workout in Waltham, could Hayes-Davis be a depth option if he wanted another crack at the NBA and the Celtics needed low-cost depth options at the wing?

Hayes-Davis landed on the All-EuroLeague First Team this season. One of the other American members of that squad: former Celtics draftee Carsen Edwards (33rd overall pick, 2019). Hayes-Davis averaged 16.7 points per game this season while shooting 49.8 percent from the floor and 41 percent from 3-point range in 39 EuroLeague games this season.

Fenerbache general manager Derya Yannier told reporters last month that there was “serious interest from the NBA” for Hayes-Davis and teammate Tarik Biberovic and suggested the team wouldn’t stand in their way if they elected to pursue those opportunities.

Posted on

Every Thunder-ous exploit by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes the Clippers' trade look worse

Los Angeles, California March 12, 2024-Clippers Paul George during a recent game.
Paul George (left) was acquired by the Clippers from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019 for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right) and five first-round draft picks. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times; Nate Billings / Associated Press)

It screamed watershed moment, the forever luckless Clippers outfoxing the eternally exalted Lakers for the services of not one, but two superstars.

The news stunned the NBA: In a matter of hours, the Clippers had traded for Paul George and signed Kawhi Leonard.

Six years later, the deal for George is considered tragically lopsided, the Clippers fleeced and forced to watch assets they surrendered lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to within three wins of an NBA championship.

The trade wouldn't be looked upon harshly had the Clippers won a championship in the five seasons that George and Leonard played together. But the deepest the team advanced was the Western Conference finals in 2021.

George left as a free agent last offseason, signing with the Philadelphia 76ers. Leonard has played in only 266 of 472 games with the Clippers because of injuries. The Clippers paid George $195.9 million and have paid Leonard $194.6 million — with Leonard under contract for another two years and $100.3 million.

Read more:Plaschke: I'm fighting Parkinson’s one punch at a time

Meanwhile, one of the two players shipped to the Thunder along with five first-round draft picks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has blossomed into the NBA's most valuable player. And the 2022 draft pick acquired from the Clippers was used to select Jalen Williams, a rising star who averaged 21.6 points a game this season.

Both are bargains. Gilgeous-Alexander — known as SGA — was paid just $13.5 million his first three seasons with the Thunder before signing a five-year, $173-million contract that will take him through the 2026-27 season. Williams has made $13.7 million in three seasons and will be paid $6.6 million next season, the last of his rookie contract.

And it's a deal that just keeps giving — to the Thunder, who as a result of the trade get the Nos. 15 and 24 picks in this year's draft and the Clippers' first-round pick in 2026.

Asked to evaluate the deal moments after the Clippers defeated the Thunder in January 2024, George grudgingly acknowledged that the pendulum had swung toward Oklahoma City.

“I just think both sides won,” he said. "I did think it was quite a lot that the Clippers were willing to give up. ... When that trade first happened, we knew Shai was going to be really, really good, but he’s special."

George sighed and continued: "I guess in a way, Oklahoma won that trade with the picks and future MVP, but both sides won.”

Read more:Markazi: A behind the scenes look at how the Clippers won Kawhi Leonard and Paul George

The fact is, the Clippers couldn't say no to the deal. Why? Because Leonard was a free agent coming off an NBA title with Toronto in which he was Finals MVP, and he was weighing offers from the Lakers and Raptors as well as the Clippers.

Signing Leonard was paramount, and he had given the Clippers something of an ultimatum: Trade for a star and I'm yours. Otherwise, it's hello Lakers.

Knowing the Clippers desperately needed to consummate the deal, Thunder general manager Sam Presti demanded SGA — who was coming off an impressive rookie campaign — respected forward Danilo Gallinari and the slew of draft picks.

Unforeseen was that SGA would rapidly rise from promising youngster to foundational piece to perhaps the best player in the NBA. He led the league in scoring this season with 32.7 points a game. He put up 34 points, eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder's win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the Finals on Sunday.

In Game 1, a stunning Pacers comeback was helped by two late missed shots by SGA. Still, he scored 38 points, and his 72 in his first two NBA Finals games is a league record.

Read more:Trouble finds ex-NBA star Shawn Kemp once again, and he may serve time for it

“I’m being myself,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters. “I don’t think I tried to reinvent the wheel or step up to the plate with a different mindset. Just try to attack the game the right way. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that so far."

Through 18 playoff games, SGA is averaging 30.4 points, 6.8 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals. Only Michael Jordan and LeBron James have recorded those numbers during a playoff run of 16 or more games.

None of this is a complete surprise. SGA provided the Clippers with opportunities to feel seller's remorse soon after the trade. On Dec. 22, 2019, he scored 32 points with five assists and two steals in a 118–112 Thunder victory. Two years later almost to the day, he made a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Thunder a 104–103 win.

Next is closing out the Finals and delivering a title to Oklahoma City — something that has proven elusive for the Clippers, the oldest franchise in North American professional sports to have never played in a championship game.

"This is where we are, you can’t go back in the past," SGA said. "You can only make the future better. That’s what I’m focused on.”

The Clippers can only do the same.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.