Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recently reflected on the trade that sent him from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019. According to the two-time NBA All-Star, he has no regrets about the trade.
“I had a great year here when I was here. Their front office made a trade that they thought was better for their team, and so did the Thunder,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated via Brandon Rahbar of the Daily Thunder.
“And the last five years I have tried to focus on my development and the team’s development and to be the best player I can be for the Oklahoma City Thunder. I’d say it worked out in my favor,” he added.
After averaging 10.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals on 47.6 percent shooting from the field in 82 regular season appearances (73 starts) during his rookie year in 2018-19, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the Paul George deal.
With Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, the Oklahoma City Thunder have become a legitimate contender in the Western Conference, and they are coming off a 2023-24 season where they finished as the top seed in the Western Conference.
Oklahoma City Thunder are off to a robust start
The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the two undefeated teams in the NBA since they’ve won all their opening seven games thus far against the Denver Nuggets, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Orlando Magic.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to be the team’s best player, averaging 25.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game on 47.4 percent shooting from the field.
Defense has been the calling card for Oklahoma City since they boast the best defensive rating in the NBA at 93.8 points per 100 possessions.
