For a franchise that has spent most of its years in existence as the NBA's laughingstock, the Los Angeles Clippers have certainly come so far. Ever since the 2011-12 season, the Clippers have finished with a record above .500, safely placing the team in its golden era. However, their golden era haven't borne much gold, and it has reached the point where the Clippers are debating whether drastic measures are needed for them to get over the title-contending hump.

In particular, rumors have surfaced that the Clippers are putting out trade feelers around the league for Paul George leading up to the 2023 NBA Draft in an effort to gauge what the talented two-way wing could bring back in a potential trade. That does not mean that the Clippers will be trading George. But it certainly opens up the possibility that they would, especially when rival executives felt like the team is seriously considering breaking up the George-Kawhi Leonard partnership.

Given George's skillset, every team with contending aspirations will be better off with his services, provided that he remains healthy. Of course, that is far from a guarantee, as PG13 has dealt with a slew of injury problems over the past two seasons. But there should be plenty of teams that would decide that trading for George remains worth it, even if he's already 33 years old.

For the Clippers' sake however, is it really the best idea to trade away Paul George given their plans to contend for a championship? Nevertheless, here are a few trades that could make trading George away worth the Clippers' while.

Clippers trade Paul George to the Portland Trail Blazers for the 3rd and 23rd picks of the 2023 NBA Draft, Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little, and top-three protected 2025 first-round pick

The Blazers remain hell-bent on acquiring some quality reinforcements for Damian Lillard as they try to make sure that Lillard spends the final few years of his career on a contending team in Portland. Thankfully, the lottery gods smiled upon them and gave them the 3rd overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, putting them in prime position to entice trade partners who may want to trade away their star players.

Given the Charlotte Hornets' reported inclination towards selecting Brandon Miller at number two, the third pick becomes all the more enticing thanks to Scoot Henderson's presence.

And Henderson's talent may very well be a worthwhile risk for the Clippers to take on even if it costs them Paul George. Henderson will give the Clippers a dynamic, athletic ballhandler who could shore up the point guard position for them for the next decade or so. Meanwhile, receiving Anfernee Simons also allows the Clippers to bring Henderson along more slowly, easing the pressure on the rookie to produce from day one.

The Clippers have all the leverage in a potential Paul George trade, so they must squeeze whatever assets they could from the Blazers. In addition to Henderson and Simons, they'll be getting two more first-rounders in the process, helping them somewhat recoup the assets they traded away for George in the first place in 2019.

This trade will certainly hurt the Clippers in the short-term. George remains one of the 15-best players in the league after all. But the opportunity to acquire a point guard with superstar potential doesn't come often. Suffering a bit of a drop-off in the meantime with the goal of prioritizing the franchise's long-term future may be for the best.

Clippers trade Paul George to the Atlanta Hawks for Dejounte Murray, John Collins, 15th pick of 2023 NBA Draft and 2029 ATL first-round pick

There are no indications whatsoever about whether the Hawks have any interest in trading for Paul George. But there's a bit of talk regarding the Hawks' potential interest in dealing away Dejounte Murray with the goal of moving up in the 2023 NBA Draft.

However, with the Hawks out a few draft picks due to their trade for Murray last offseason, there will be great urgency for the team to compete. Thus, bringing in another prospect for Quin Snyder and company to develop may not be the best idea.

Instead, it may be for the Hawks' best to bring in eight-time All-Star Paul George, even if it comes at the expense of Dejounte Murray. It hasn't even been a year since the Hawks acquired Murray, but George is just an upgrade in almost every sense of the word. George is simply a better fit alongside Trae Young, and sometimes, when it comes to contending fit is all that matters.

The Young-Murray offense in Atlanta didn't function as coherently as it could have. Young isn't the most adept when it comes to moving off the ball, so the two didn't synergize well. Instead, they took turns commandeering the offense, unable to accentuate each other's strengths. The Hawks won't have that problem with Paul George at all.

As for the Clippers, acquiring Dejounte Murray will shore up the team at the point, even though they will have to pony up to keep him in 2024. John Collins, as onerous as his contract is, would give the Clippers the athletic presence at the four they've sorely lacked, while the 15th pick should give them a chance to draft a talented youngster. By 2029, the Hawks may be rebuilding by then, so acquiring their pick for that year could net them a huge reward.

If anything, the Hawks may pass on this hypothetical trade, as giving up on Murray this early is an admission that their trade for him last year didn't quite work out as well as they had hoped.

Clippers send PG13 to the Miami Heat for Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, 18th pick of 2023 NBA Draft, 2024 and 2026 MIA first-round picks, 2027 pick swap

The Miami Heat are always in the business of star-hunting. Following their defeat to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals, the Heat have reportedly made their interest in trading for a player of Damian Lillard's caliber known. And they were also the second-place team in the Bradley Beal sweepstakes, instead choosing not to trade for the now-Phoenix Suns guard due to their concerns regarding the repercussions of the new CBA.

Of course, trading for Beal is one thing. But Paul George is a different caliber of player entirely. Thus, much like their rumored interest in Lillard, perhaps the Heat could, instead, choose to devote their assets into trading for George should the Clippers make him available. The Blazers, after all, have reportedly shut down all trade talks for Lillard, making the Heat's chase for him moot as of now.

A deadly wing duo of Paul George and Jimmy Butler, not to mention the presence of Bam Adebayo, should give the Heat even more firepower as they try to rekindle the playoff magic they had in 2023. If they made that all-time playoff run without the services of Tyler Herro for most of that span, imagine just how much more damage they can wreak with PG13 in South Beach.

However, it will cost the Heat dearly — much to the Clippers' benefit. Herro is a solid return in a trade, as he could even break out as an All-Star caliber player in a lead guard role. At 6'5, he's also not as much of a defensive liability as Anfernee Simons would be.

Moreover, adding Kyle Lowry may help placate Kawhi Leonard. Leonard experienced tremendous success playing alongside Lowry, and the Clippers have expressed interest in the veteran floor general in the past. His contract is expiring as well, so the Clippers could even flip him for an upgrade down the line.

Acquiring three first-round picks for Paul George (along with a pick swap) is a win as well. With the Heat's core in this hypothetical scenario getting up there in age, there's a chance that the Heat's picks amount to something good.

All three trade scenarios are long-shots, of course, but the Clippers shouldn't have to settle for anything less if they're trading away George.