One of the biggest stars of this cycle of free agency has completed the first step in planning his NBA future.
Nine-time NBA All-Star and native Californian Paul George declined his $48.8 million option to play for the Los Angeles Clippers next season, making himself one of the league’s most sought after and valuable free agent commodities, according to ESPN’s senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
The 34-year-old, 14-year veteran, balled out of his mind, averaging 22.6 points on 47/41/91 shooting splits, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game this past season, spearheading the Clippers, along with James Harden, to the first round of the playoffs, where they lost to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Clippers can offer George a four-year, $221 million maximum contract. They have been unwilling to budge on offering more than the three-year, $152.4 million extension that Kawhi Leonard inked during the season, according to multiple sources. George’s decision to opt out will force the Clippers’ hand to show how serious they are about keeping hm in the fold long term.
“We love Paul,” Lawrence Frank, Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said on Thursday. “We very much want to retain Paul, but we also very much understand and respect the fact this is a business.
“We hope Paul’s decision is to be here. He’s been awesome. He’s been an All-Star. He’s one of the best two-way players in the league. He’s a terrific person. He’s got great family, so we hope he’s here but also respect the fact that if he chooses to opt out, that’s his choice. He’s earned it and we’ll see how things play out.”
The Clippers traded a bounty which included, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and the rights to seven first-round draft picks for George in the summer of 2019, it was one of those deals that worked out for both teams. They were also in the midst of recruiting Leonard to Los Angeles from the Toronto Raptors, where he won the organizations first title. This past season marked the first time George played more than 56 games in a season for the Clippers.
Embed from Getty ImagesGeorge led the franchise to its first appearance in the Western Conference finals in 2021 against the Phoenix Suns.
The Philadelphia 76ers, who consider themselves as the only championship contender with max salary cap space, have long been the front runners for George’s services, even after The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the team’s interest in George “has significantly waned.” Maybe it could be because his interest in them has diminished to some degree. Sixers superstar and former MVP Joel Embiid did not hide his feelings and was openly courting George to the ‘City of Brotherly Love’, Philadelphia on live TV during the NBA Finals.
However, championship contention may not be George’s only purpose in free agency.
“People saying chasing a championship,” George said during a recent episode of his podcast, addressing his free-agency goals. “It’s not that, but it’s playing the right style of basketball is what I’m chasing.”
George can sign with another team for as much as $212 million over the next four seasons. The Detroit Pistons, who are currently looking for a new coach are the only team besides the Sixers expected to clear enough cap space to sign him at this time.
