Of course, Cugel and similar were tricksters first and foremost, and it is what they were mentally that defined them so much. Meaning either they are universal to basically any system without mental stats getting in your way, or functional best in a system where social actions actually get some focus. I would consider Burning Wheel far better for them than D&D ever can be.
Ultimately, I don't particularly like Gygax's work. But what I love in fantasy, what I love in gaming, next to none of that would exist without him. Without Gygax (and Arnerson, both of whom are deceased
) there would be no tabletop roleplaying industry, there would be drastically different mechanics in nearly every video game, and it hugely influenced literature. And for that, I salute the man, and his partners way back in the day. The order of the stick tribute did him well.