From side piece to centerpiece: SGA and nine other memorable NBA trade throw-ins
The Art of the Throw-In: How SGA Redefined Trade Value
When the Los Angeles Clippers mortgaged their future to acquire Paul George in the summer of 2019, the sticker shock was immediate. The headlines focused exclusively on the unprecedented draft capital: five first-round picks and two pick swaps. Buried beneath the avalanche of future assets was a 20-year-old guard coming off a solid, if unspectacular, rookie season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was viewed as a sweetener—a promising young talent included to balance the ledger, but certainly not the headliner of a deal involving an MVP finalist.
Seven years later, that narrative has been completely rewritten. As we survey the league landscape in January 2026, Gilgeous-Alexander stands not as a "side piece," but as the undisputed centerpiece of the NBA’s most formidable franchise. The draft picks were valuable, certainly, but SGA evolved into the MVP-caliber engine that powered Oklahoma City’s restoration. He transformed the trade from a calculated risk into one of the most lopsided exchanges in sports history, proving that a known quantity with elite development potential is often worth more than the mystery box of a future lottery pick.
SGA’s ascent places him atop our list of the league’s most memorable trade throw-ins, a unique fraternity of players who were undervalued at the transaction point only to eclipse the stars they were traded for. History offers striking parallels. Consider Marc Gasol, whose draft rights were tossed into the 2008 deal sending his brother Pau to the Lakers. At the time, critics blasted the Grizzlies for giving away a superstar for "nothing." Marc, of course, became a Defensive Player of the Year and the grit-and-grind anchor of Memphis. Similarly, Khris Middleton was a second-round afterthought included in the Brandon Jennings-Brandon Knight swap, only to develop into the closing closer for a championship Milwaukee Bucks team.
However, Gilgeous-Alexander represents the apex of this phenomenon. He didn't just become an All-Star; he became a system unto himself. His rise serves as a cautionary tale for general managers approaching this year's deadline: the most valuable asset in a blockbuster deal isn't always the unprotected pick in 2029, but the quiet professional already on the roster, waiting for the keys to the franchise. The Clippers wanted a second star; the Thunder, it turns out, received a galaxy.
When the Los Angeles Clippers mortgaged their future to acquire Paul George in the summer of 2019, the sticker shock was immediate. The headlines focused exclusively on the unprecedented draft capital: five first-round picks and two pick swaps. Buried beneath the avalanche of future assets was a 20-year-old guard coming off a solid, if unspectacular, rookie season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was viewed as a sweetener—a promising young talent included to balance the ledger, but certainly not the headliner of a deal involving an MVP finalist.
Seven years later, that narrative has been completely rewritten. As we survey the league landscape in January 2026, Gilgeous-Alexander stands not as a "side piece," but as the undisputed centerpiece of the NBA’s most formidable franchise. The draft picks were valuable, certainly, but SGA evolved into the MVP-caliber engine that powered Oklahoma City’s restoration. He transformed the trade from a calculated risk into one of the most lopsided exchanges in sports history, proving that a known quantity with elite development potential is often worth more than the mystery box of a future lottery pick.
SGA’s ascent places him atop our list of the league’s most memorable trade throw-ins, a unique fraternity of players who were undervalued at the transaction point only to eclipse the stars they were traded for. History offers striking parallels. Consider Marc Gasol, whose draft rights were tossed into the 2008 deal sending his brother Pau to the Lakers. At the time, critics blasted the Grizzlies for giving away a superstar for "nothing." Marc, of course, became a Defensive Player of the Year and the grit-and-grind anchor of Memphis. Similarly, Khris Middleton was a second-round afterthought included in the Brandon Jennings-Brandon Knight swap, only to develop into the closing closer for a championship Milwaukee Bucks team.
However, Gilgeous-Alexander represents the apex of this phenomenon. He didn't just become an All-Star; he became a system unto himself. His rise serves as a cautionary tale for general managers approaching this year's deadline: the most valuable asset in a blockbuster deal isn't always the unprotected pick in 2029, but the quiet professional already on the roster, waiting for the keys to the franchise. The Clippers wanted a second star; the Thunder, it turns out, received a galaxy.
