Four years ago, in the afterglow of one of the most transformative nights in Clippers franchise history, there were some within the organization who found themselves as excited by the additions of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard as they were mournful over the cost.
There was no way the Clippers could have pulled off a trade with Oklahoma City that netted George and, in turn, Leonard's free-agency commitment without including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Everyone understood it was the cost of doing franchise-altering business. The haul vaulted the Clippers into instant championship contenders. Losing the 6-foot-6 all-rookie point guard with the can't-be-bothered pace and preternatural cool stung a little, anyway.
"He's not going to let you dictate which shot he's going to take," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said of Gilgeous-Alexander, the league's leader in drives, before Tuesday's 101-100 loss to the Thunder. "And that's what's really good and nice about him."
