Two-time NBA All-Star Rashard Lewis never suited up for the Thunder, but his impact on the franchise has been felt during both of their trips to the NBA Finals in Oklahoma City.
The Seattle SuperSonics selected Lewis out of high school with the 32nd overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, and he ascended from being a seldom-used teenage rookie to an All-Star and 20-point-per-game scorer. Lewis' Seattle tenure ended during his free agency in 2007, but via a sign-and-trade. 18 years later, some of the biggest moves in Thunder franchise history can be traced back to the seemingly negligible return in the deal.
Over a decade after Lewis retired from the NBA, the trade tree stemming from his Seattle exit has changed the league's landscape. And that's no exaggeration.
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Here's a breakdown of the 2007 trade and each branch of the deal that has brought the Thunder to where they are today.
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Rashard Lewis trade details
Lewis entered free agency in 2007, two years removed from his first-ever All-Star appearance.
After a 31-51 season in Seattle, newly-hired GM Sam Presti worked to usher in a new era of Sonics basketball and used the offseason to move on from Ray Allen, meaning the writing was likely on the wall for Lewis as well.
Rather than letting Lewis walk for nothing, Seattle and Orlando agreed to a sign-and-trade as Lewis got a six-year, $110 million deal to join the Magic, while the Sonics were sent a conditional second-round pick and earned a trade exception "believed to be in the $9 million range."
Magic receive:
- Rashard Lewis
SuperSonics receive:
- 2009 second-round pick
- Trade exception
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What did the Thunder get for Rashard Lewis?
The ongoing list of assets is ever-evolving, but three active members of Oklahoma City's roster are a product of the 2007 trade between Seattle and Orlando. With one final draft pick set to be conveyed in 2025, this list will grow.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Dillon Jones
- Jalen Williams
These players are a part of a longer, drawn-out trade tree, but the seed was planted when the SuperSonics franchise absorbed a trade exception in return for Lewis. One year after that trade, the franchise moved to OKC and rebranded as the Thunder.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Lewis tree: Trade exception → 2008 first-round pick (Serge Ibaka) → Victor Oladipo & Domantas Sabonis → Paul George → Gilgeous-Alexander
Gilgeous-Alexander was the young prospect with upside included in the 2019 deal that sent George to the Clippers. As it turns out, that upside proved to be of the superstar variety.
After averaging 10.8 points per game as a rookie in LA, SGA nearly doubled his scoring average in Year 2 and was named league MVP in his seventh NBA season, averaging a league-leading 32.7 points per game.
In addition to his MVP nod, Gilgeous-Alexander has picked up three All-Star selections, three First Team All-NBA nods, and was named Western Conference Finals MVP while leading the Thunder to the 2025 NBA Finals.
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Dillon Jones
- Lewis tree: Trade exception → 2008 first-round pick (Serge Ibaka) → Victor Oladipo & Domantas Sabonis → Paul George → 2024 first-round pick (used to select Jones)
In addition to receiving two players for George, the Thunder received several draft picks that ultimately conveyed. The 2024 pick changed hands a few times but returned to the Thunder via trade on draft day.
Jones, the 26th overall pick in 2024, is a 6-5 forward who saw a limited role in his rookie season. He scored a career-high 13 points in the 2024-25 season finale and could grow into a larger role with time.
Jalen Williams
- Lewis tree: Trade exception → 2008 first-round pick (Serge Ibaka) → Victor Oladipo & Domantas Sabonis → Paul George → 2022 first-round pick (used to select Williams)
The 2022 first-round pick that Oklahoma City received from LA proved most valuable.
As the 2022 postseason got underway, the Clippers were in the Play-In Tournament as the West's eighth seed. Losses to the Timberwolves and Pelicans resulted in LA missing the playoffs entirely, meaning its first-round pick fell at the back of the lottery.
OKC used the 12th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft to select Williams, who was the Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2022-23 and has continued to build ever since. In his third season, Williams was named an All-Star and earned nods to the All-Defensive Second Team and the All-NBA Third Team.
Rashard Lewis trade tree
Here are the details of every trade involving assets from the original deal involving Lewis in 2007. Active players on the Thunder roster are listed in bold.
SuperSonics-Suns trade (2007)
Suns receive:
- 2009 second-round pick (via Orlando)
- Trade exception
SuperSonics receive:
- Kurt Thomas
- 2008 first-round draft pick (used to select Serge Ibaka)
- 2010 first-round draft pick
Thunder-Magic trade (2016)
Magic receive:
- Serge Ibaka
Thunder receive:
- Ersan Ilyasova
- Victor Oladipo
- Domantas Sabonis
Thunder-Pacers trade (2017)
Pacers receive:
- Victor Oladipo
- Domantas Sabonis
Thunder receive:
- Paul George
Thunder-Clippers trade (2019)
Clippers receive:
- Paul George
Thunder receive:
- Danilo Gallinari
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- 2021 first-round pick (used to select Tre Mann)
- 2022 first-round pick (used to select Jalen Williams)
- 2023 first-round pick (did not convey)
- 2024 first-round pick (used to select Dillon Jones)
- 2025 first-round pick (24th overall)