Paul George trade rumors finally gave way to the last piece of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s return on Tuesday night. The Thunder used the No. 12 pick in the 2026 NBA draft to select Michigan center Aday Mara, completing the full trade return nearly seven years after the original July 6, 2019 agreement.
That selection closes the accounting on a deal that started with the Los Angeles Clippers and ended with Oklahoma City holding the final draft asset. The Thunder’s return now includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Danilo Gallinari and Mara, with one 2027 protected first-round pick from the San Antonio Spurs still in play.
Thunder finish the George return
The final step came Tuesday night when Oklahoma City used No. 12 on Mara. He becomes the latest player tied to the chain that began when the Clippers acquired Paul George from the Thunder on July 6, 2019.
The original deal reshaped both sides. Oklahoma City moved into a rebuild that produced Gilgeous-Alexander and the No. 12 pick in the 2022 draft that became Williams. That pair later became the two best players on the Thunder team that won the 2025 NBA Finals.
Clippers' five-year George run
George spent five years with the Clippers and gave them three All-Star seasons. The club went 233-157 in that stretch and reached its best point in 2020-21, when it advanced to the Western Conference Finals and lost to the Phoenix Suns in six games.
Leonard missed the final eight games of that run with a partially torn ACL. The Clippers reportedly moved for George knowing Leonard was only going to sign if they added him, which tied the trade to their broader roster plan from the start.
George left the Clippers in the summer of 2024 to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. By then, Oklahoma City had already turned the first wave of the deal into a contender built around Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams, while Gallinari’s single season in Oklahoma City included 18.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in 62 games in 2019-20.
One Spurs pick remains
The Thunder’s return is officially settled, but not every piece has landed. One 2027 protected first-round pick from the San Antonio Spurs is still in play after Oklahoma City acquired it in the 2025 draft when it traded the draft rights for Nique Clifford to the Sacramento Kings.
That leaves the last open question on the trade’s accounting in the shape of the protection terms on that pick. For now, though, Tuesday night closed the book on the No. 12 selection and on the final draft asset from a swap that has touched Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
