Report: Oklahoma City Thunder Acquired 2 1st-Round Picks From Miami Heat in Kawhi Leonard Deal

teacher_omar@yahoo.com'
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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George is going to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Galllinari and a record-setting number of draft picks. Among those picks heading to Oklahoma City are two first-rounders from the Miami Heat.

The unprotected first-round pick the Clippers are sending to the Thunder is the Heat’s 2021 first-rounder. Miami sent the pick to the Phoenix Suns in the Goran Dragic trade in 2015.

In addition, the protected 2023 first-rounder was sent by the Heat to the Clippers to facilitate the four-team blockbuster trade that brought Jimmy Butler to Miami.

George will be playing for the Clippers next season in a surprising turn of events as the Thunder were reportedly forced to trade him. Kawhi Leonard’s decision to play for the Clippers has rocked, not just the Thunder, but the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers as well.

The Heat indirectly participated in the biggest free agent signing of 2019 without knowing it. That’s because Leonard’s decision to go to the Clippers hinged largely upon the franchise acquiring George from Oklahoma City.

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Omar is a freelance writer who has followed the NBA for more than 30 years. Prior to the Internet, he devoured every reading material he could find on the game from newspaper articles to books and magazines. He became a Heat fan the moment they acquired Tim Hardaway and his killer crossover, and lamented not seeing him and Alonzo Mourning win a championship. Seeing Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh play in Miami was a surreal moment for him and more so after they validated the Decision with back-to-back championships. He is ecstatic to cover Miami basketball for Heat Nation.