The Clippers Bought Bledsoe Before He Played an NBA Minute
Los Angeles acquired the draft rights to Eric Bledsoe from Oklahoma City on June 24, 2010, sending a protected future first-round pick in return. The deal was a straightforward upside bet. Bledsoe had just gone No. 18 in the draft, while the Clippers were pushing a future first into a later season rather than giving up a current rotation player. In hindsight, that swap delivered exactly the kind of surplus value teams hope to find on draft night.
Bledsoe Quickly Became Much More Valuable Than the Pick
Bledsoe spent three seasons with the Clippers and developed from a young reserve into one of the league’s more explosive guards. His raw counting numbers were limited by playing behind Chris Paul, but his athleticism, defense and improving creation made him a meaningful rotation piece and then a valuable trade asset. Los Angeles eventually moved Bledsoe in the 2013 three-team deal that brought back J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley, extending the value chain beyond his own minutes in a Clippers uniform.
Oklahoma City Preserved Value but the Future First Did Not Match Bledsoe
The Thunder did not simply throw Bledsoe away. The protected Clippers first remained a useful asset and became part of the February 2011 package sent to Boston for Kendrick Perkins. The pick eventually conveyed in 2012 at No. 22, where Boston selected Fab Melo. Perkins cannot be credited entirely to this one asset because Oklahoma City also surrendered Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic, but the first clearly had trade value. Even with that credit, its realized contribution fell well short of what Bledsoe became.
The Result Is a Rare Draft-Night Blowout With a Defensible Process
Oklahoma City’s logic was reasonable for an organization already collecting future draft capital and juggling a young roster. The mistake only becomes obvious after Bledsoe develops into a high-level starter and the protected first ultimately lands in the twenties. Los Angeles captured the player upside, benefited from three seasons of Bledsoe and later recycled him into another useful package. That combination supports the canonical A+ for the Clippers and D for Oklahoma City without pretending the Thunder received a worthless asset on trade day.
Final Verdict
Clippers Win — Los Angeles A+, Oklahoma City D. Los Angeles turned a protected future first into Eric Bledsoe, received three seasons of useful guard play and later used Bledsoe as a centerpiece in the trade that brought back J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley. Oklahoma City did preserve the incoming first and used it as one component of the Kendrick Perkins deal, but the pick eventually conveyed at No. 22 and never matched Bledsoe’s realized value. The process was defensible; the outcome was not close.