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The Los Angeles Clippers saw big changes made this offseason when Paul George elected to leave to the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. The move caught many but surprise, but others fully expected it following the paper trail of comments and smoke surrounding George and his desire to sign a max or near-max deal.
Two months later, conversations are still being had about George's departure from the place he called home and hoped to win an NBA Championship.
Paul George recently brought his father, Paul George Sr., on to the “Podcast P with Paul George” show. It was there that the two opened up on a number of things from growing up to George recovering from the gruesome leg injury and returning to All-Star level.
Among the topics discussed in the episode was Paul George's departure from Los Angeles and the Clippers. When asked for his true feelings on the matter, George's father did not hold back.
“It was hurting,” Paul George Sr. said of his son's departure. “It was like… I felt like they stabbed us in the back because I thought Paul did a whole lot for the team, as far the fanbase, the fans was there. He was there. I think he gave them 110% and what he was asking, it wasn't a whole lot. But they saw something different.”
Paul George's dad on PG leaving the Clippers:
“I felt like they stabbed us in the back because I thought Paul did a whole lot for the team. I think he gave them 110% and what he was asking, it wasn't a whole lot. But they saw something different… I was looking at going… pic.twitter.com/7c691xChzS
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) September 2, 2024
The Clippers offered George a three year deal roughly around the range of $150 million. It was a deal similar to Kawhi Leonard's, George, who initially wanted the four-year, $220 million max, was open to signing the three-year, $150 million deal, but wanted a rare no-trade clause in the deal to ensure he'd be staying in Los Angeles.
The Clippers did not offer the max or the no-trade clause, and George felt forced to make the best decision for himself and his family.
“I didn't want him just to take anything,” George Sr. added. “So his whole thing is, he does stand up for what he believes in. And so he felt that that was a bunch of bull that they came at him with. And I wasn't gonna sugarcoat it either. Yeah, I'm behind you 100%. If you've got to leave, we're gonna leave. Of course, it kind of put us in a little bump and grind, but it's all good. It's all good. You love being at home, but then sometimes home can kind of slow you down. He put in work for it and I felt that he should've gotten paid for it. And so we didn't stutter about it. Like what, they came at you like this? Oh nah, you've got to go.”
Paul George met with the Clippers one final time ahead of free agency to give them a chance to match the offers he wanted. They would not, so George also treated the meeting as an opportunity to inform them of his decision to leave.
A few hours later and officially into free agency, George agreed to a four-year, $212 million max contract with the 76ers. It was the max he could've gotten from any team not named the Clippers, who could've offered him a maximum of four years and $220 million.
Paul George's father says leaving Los Angeles was tough, but he was initially looking at his son signing with the crosstown rival Los Angeles Lakers if he was going to leave the Clippers.
“I was looking at okay, well we're gonna do next door then [to the Lakers], but they already spent too much money,” George Sr. joked. “I thought we're gonna still come down in the tunnel, just gonna be wearing a different color.”
In the end, Paul George got the deal he wanted and the Clippers were able to recover from losing him by forming a much more team-oriented roster around Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
In five seasons with the LA Clippers, Paul George averaged 23 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game on 45.5 percent shooting from the field and 39.7 percent from three. He helped lead the Clippers to their first ever Conference Finals appearance in 2021, but his tenure in Los Angeles will ultimately be remembered as an injury prone one for both him and Kawhi Leonard.
Including both the regular season and postseason, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George had a 137-70 record when they played together, a .662 winning percentage.
They finished 124-57 (.685) together in the regular season, but only 13-13 (.500) together in the playoffs.
Paul George and his new team, the Philadelphia 76ers, will play their first game in Los Angeles against the Clippers early in the season on Wednesday, November 6th.
