What happened: A retrospective question is drawing fresh attention: what if the Clippers had moved Paul George to Denver in the wake of their 2020 second-round collapse, when they surrendered a 3-1 series lead. George was 30 at the time and coming off an All-NBA-caliber campaign, making him a high-value trade chip the franchise instead chose to keep.

Why it matters: The what-if resonates because it maps onto a broader debate about when a contender should cash in a star at peak value rather than run it back. Selling high on an established wing after a playoff disappointment is the kind of pivot that reshapes a franchise's timeline, and the Clippers' choice to stay the course became a defining fork in their competitive window.

What to watch: Watch how the framing lands as offseason roster debates continue and the parallel to Boston's own recent star-value calculus keeps the discussion alive heading into the 2026-27 season.