Would SGA + Kawhi have won a championship?

[ChipotleWest]

It's just hard to imagine them two not winning one together, or at least getting to the Finals. Was it Kawhi that wanted the trade SGA for PG?

[dockingsched]

It’s five years later and Kawhi is now 33 and declining and who knows how healthy he’ll ever be in a playoff run, and Shai still hasn’t done anything in a playoff run.

It’s really easy to imagine them never winning anything.

[Harry Garris]

No. The Paul George trade not panning out hasn't been the reason the Clippers haven't won a title, it's been about Kawhi's injuries.

[EmpireFalls]

No because Kawhi has been hurt every single postseason since the bubble. And that year they still wouldn’t have won, SGA wasn’t ready yet imo.

[Domejandro]

It’s five years later and Kawhi is now 33 and declining and who knows how healthy he’ll ever be in a playoff run, and Shai still hasn’t done anything in a playoff run.

It’s really easy to imagine them never winning anything.

I remember thinking it at the time, the big confusion was why they had to include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, given the massive pick haul. Always felt like the pick package (maybe add more swaps) should have been enough for an expiring Paul George. Sam Presti leveraged Kawhi Leonard's free-agency against the Los Angeles Clippers in a pretty unbelievable way.

Regardless, Kawhi's injuries definitely make it hard to see the Los Angeles Clippers winning in any season.

[zimpy27]

Yes.. They would have a beautiful synergy together.

[ChipotleWest]

That's true Kawhi's health. But I do not necessarily agree if healthy Kawhi + PG would have won the ship by now.

[heezyo2o]

Does Kawhi even go to the clippers without the PG trade.

Clips were favorites what the first 2 years Kawhi was there. If a young SGA is there instead of PG, I don't think the clippers do any better unless a Toronto Kawhi shows up

[JustBuzzin]

No.

SGA doesn't become SGA playing with Kawhi who was the lead dog.

[CodeBreaker]

That's true Kawhi's health. But I do not necessarily agree if healthy Kawhi + PG would have won the ship by now.

2021 chip easy

[bwgood77]

No, because they never would have played together. Part of the deal when they signed Kawhi is he could pick a player they'd trade for and he picked George, so Kawhi never signs with them if the George deal isn't made.

So if the Clips shouldn't have made the trade, who knows where they would be...they might be really good now with SGA and some more good picks.

The more interesting question is if Kawhi signed with the Lakers, how would they be?

However, Kawhi has gotten injured like 3 postseasons so even if the SGA/Kawhi WAS relevant, they probably wouldn't win due to that...it isn't the George trade that has killed them...it's Kawhi's injuries (and they kind of blew that Nuggets series in the bubble). Of course Kawhi probably has the injuries with the Lakers too...but maybe not the same time as AD who also got injured at times.

[og15]

When? He wasn't better than PG in 2020, and Kawhi has been injured every other season.

The one season Kawhi wasn't injured was the bubble, and PG was injured mentally which took away that opportunity, and SGA wasn't good enough then.

[NZB2323]

That's true Kawhi's health. But I do not necessarily agree if healthy Kawhi + PG would have won the ship by now.

2021 chip easy

Kawhi got injured in the 2nd round in 2021 and SGA didn’t even make the playoffs that year and the year prior had a PER of 13.1 in the playoffs.

[ChipotleWest]

That's true Kawhi's health. But I do not necessarily agree if healthy Kawhi + PG would have won the ship by now.

2021 chip easy

Mavs had them beat if PorzinGAS just showed up. 13 points per game for a guy on a max contract, Luka was still on his rookie contract making 8 Porzingis 30. Mavs had a 3-2 lead and lost game 6 by 7 points, Porzingis scored 7 points.

[ejftw]

Hard to imagine them not, but Sega + Kawhi would never have happened. Kawhi would have been a Laker.

Plus, who knows how Shai would have developed. I mean, Doc still would have been the coach, and he's trash.

[Jabroni Lames]

Hard to imagine them not, but Sega + Kawhi would never have happened. Kawhi would have been a Laker.

Plus, who knows how Shai would have developed. I mean, Doc still would have been the coach, and he's trash.

Doc Rivers developed Maxey just fine. Massively overachieved, in fact.

[og15]

Hard to imagine them not, but Sega + Kawhi would never have happened. Kawhi would have been a Laker.

Plus, who knows how Shai would have developed. I mean, Doc still would have been the coach, and he's trash.

Doc hasn't held back the development of any star quality player, he helped Blake even by encouraging him to be a face up guy and not a back to the basket short armed PF with limited range who could get neutralized by bigger defenders. Generally a coach isn't going to prevent a guy on the path to that level from getting there. He would have to REALLY try to accomplish that, and even then, coaches want to win.

The guy would then just go to that next level when that coach goes.

[ejftw]

Hard to imagine them not, but Sega + Kawhi would never have happened. Kawhi would have been a Laker.

Plus, who knows how Shai would have developed. I mean, Doc still would have been the coach, and he's trash.

Doc hasn't held back the development of any star quality player, he helped Blake even by encouraging him to be a face up guy and not a back to the basket short armed PF with limited range who could get neutralized by buffer defenders. Generally a coach isn't going to prevent a guy on the path to that level from getting there. He would have to REALLY try to accomplish that, and even then, coaches want to win.

The guy would then just go to that next level when that coach goes.

Wasn't referring to the development, rather, getting the job done to win the ring down the stretch, though, I see how the way I wrote it seems like I was referring to the former. That's on me for posting while opening a box of cards (got a nice Wemby sp at least)

[QMemphis]

It’s five years later and Kawhi is now 33 and declining and who knows how healthy he’ll ever be in a playoff run, and Shai still hasn’t done anything in a playoff run.

It’s really easy to imagine them never winning anything.

I remember thinking it at the time, the big confusion was why they had to include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, given the massive pick haul. Always felt like the pick package (maybe add more swaps) should have been enough for an expiring Paul George. Sam Presti leveraged Kawhi Leonard's free-agency against the Los Angeles Clippers in a pretty unbelievable way.

Regardless, Kawhi's injuries definitely make it hard to see the Los Angeles Clippers winning in any season.

Paul George wasn’t expiring he had just resigned with the Thunder. The deal was fair and everyone still rides that decision out. No one expected this much injury from those two.

[CobraCommander]

No. Kawhi hurt right now -

It’s a story when Kawhi NOT on the injury report.