Former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams says he immediately understood what the Los Angeles Clippers were giving up when they traded rookie guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the blockbuster deal for Paul George.
Speaking on The Underground Lounge, Williams recalled that Gilgeous-Alexander stood out from the moment he entered the league during the 2018-19 season. The former guard said he viewed the rookie as the complete package long before he developed into one of the NBA’s premier players.
“In our game you want your young star to be coachable, a worker, one of the guys, the toughest, smartest. SGA was all of those things,” Williams said. “When that trade happened for Paul George, I swear to God… when he called me, the first thing I asked him was ‘was Shai in the trade?’ That was the first thing I asked him. Because that’s how much I believed in him as a rookie. He was one of the first rookies that I was on the team with that I said ‘hey that boy going to be a star.’”
The Clippers selected Gilgeous-Alexander with the 11th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft after acquiring his rights from the Charlotte Hornets on draft night. He quickly earned a starting role, appearing in all 82 games and making 73 starts while averaging 10.8 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds on 47.6% shooting from the field. He finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting and helped Los Angeles reach the playoffs.
That summer, the Clippers sent Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and a historic package of first-round draft picks to Oklahoma City in exchange for George. The move also paved the way for Kawhi Leonard to sign with the franchise in free agency, giving Los Angeles one of the league’s most talented duos.
While the trade positioned the Clippers as championship contenders, Gilgeous-Alexander steadily developed into one of the NBA’s elite guards in Oklahoma City.
After increasing his scoring average to 19.0 points in his first season with the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander made another leap by averaging at least 30 points per game in three of the last four seasons. He finished fifth in MVP voting in 2022-23 before placing second in 2023-24.
The Canadian guard reached the top of the league in each of the last two seasons. He averaged an NBA-best 32.7 points per game while shooting 51.9% from the field in 2024-25, earning his first MVP award and a First Team All-NBA selection. He followed that by averaging 31.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds on a career-high 55.3% shooting in 2025-26, capturing a second consecutive MVP award and another First Team All-NBA honor.
Through eight NBA seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander has career averages of 25.3 points, 5.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 50.8% from the field. He has evolved from a promising rookie into the centerpiece of the Thunder franchise, validating the belief Williams formed during their lone season together in Los Angeles.
