Friday Bolts: The SGA Trade

Coming into last night’s game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers, there was a lot of press revisiting the trade between the teams that led to Paul George in LA and SGA in OKC.

This reminded me of a tweet I dropped almost two years ago…

With more in-depth analysis, Shaun Powell (NBA.com) examines how the blockbuster SGA-PG trade looks today.

The Thunder still haven’t cashed in all those picks, and even if those picks fizzle, George straight up for Gilgeous-Alexander seems in OKC’s favor. 

In case you missed it, Russell Westbrook plays for the Clippers. But if you missed it, the fans at the Paycom Center certainly did not. The organization’s most beloved player got a hero’s welcome when he checked into the game last night.

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Postgame, both Westbrook and James Harden were complimentary of OKC.

Russell Westbrook on his OKC ovation: “Best [fans] in the world. It’s like home for me to be honest.”

James Harden on this Thunder team: “It reminds me of when I was here, the beginning of the Thunder Up days. And it’s beautiful.”

(h/t @AndrewGreif ⬇️) https://t.co/gmDIEXYVXB

— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) December 22, 2023

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And now it’s time for the weekly “Shai is really good” section of the Bolts.

SGA had his fifth game of the season with at least 30 points and 4 steals. Only one other player has more than one (Giannis, two).

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) December 22, 2023

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In an MVP straw poll conducted by ESPN, SGA came in fourth.

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With offensive weapons like SGA, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, the team’s offense has been humming. But the defense has also taken a leap this years. John Schumann (NBA.com) highlights OKC among the league’s 5 most improved defenses over last…