As the Oklahoma City Thunder enjoy a week-plus between games, they’re on the verge of finding their Round 2 opponent in the 2025 NBA playoffs. It’ll either be the Denver Nuggets or the LA Clippers, as both teams will play a decisive Game 7 on Saturday.
Like a pick-your-own-adventure book, either possibility ensures juicy storylines to follow. In Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s case, it’ll either be against his direct competition for the MVP award or against his old squad that shipped him in one of the most shocking NBA trades in recent history.
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If the latter, Gilgeous-Alexander has already extinguished any possible bulletin material. The 26-year-old said he’ll have zero extra motivation if the Thunder match up against the Clippers in their second-round series. Advancing to the Western Conference Finals will be enough motivation in itself.
“They did (motivated me) a long time ago. I haven’t thought about them in years, though. I can’t hold, I guess you can say, grudges forever in life,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “For whatever reason, they moved off me and they thought it was a good idea and the Thunder vice versa. Those are the cards I was dealt.”
Even though he spent his rookie season on the Clippers, seven years is an eternity in the NBA. No hard feelings reside on Gilgeous-Alexander’s side as he’s blossomed into one of the league’s best players. He’s above personal vendettas against a franchise that’s been widely mocked for the blockbuster deal he was part of.
Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander is fully focused on a championship. The Thunder are fresh off one of the greatest regular-season campaigns in NBA history. A Round 1 sweep over the Memphis Grizzlies showed how their dominance seamlessly translated to the playoffs. He’s got bigger fish to fry than acting petty against LA.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Will SGA be motivated by 2019 trade if he faces Clippers in playoffs?