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AS LA CLIPPERS brass celebrated, Doc Rivers executed an uncomfortable assignment.
It was July 10, 2019, and the Clippers had just pulled off a blockbuster one-two transaction punch that carried the potential to shift the NBA's balance of power.
The Clippers' long-running pursuit of Kawhi Leonard had succeeded, as LA sealed the two-time Finals MVP's free agency commitment by pulling off a massive deal to acquire his hand-picked co-star, Paul George.
The deals instantly established Los Angeles' less glamorous franchise as a legitimate contender, but it came at a steep cost: The package dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder was headlined by a historic haul of draft capital -- and a promising 20-year-old guard who had just wrapped a second-team All-Rookie campaign.