Time might be running out on the LA Clippers. Just over four years after Kawhi Leonard and Paul George rocked the NBA world by combining forces in their native Southern California, both superstars have the option to hit free agency next summer. Leonard and George are currently eligible for contract extensions, too, but there have been no substantive talks on new deals for either franchise cornerstone as another season fast approaches.

There really is a chance 2023-24 is this iteration of LA's “last dance.” Should that possibility come to pass, the Clippers will have surely nothing more to show for their league-altering acquisitions of Leonard and George than a Western Conference Finals appearance or two—a major disappointment considering the sky-high expectations that accompanied their tandem arrival back in July 2019 and trade centerpiece Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's rise to full-fledged superstardom with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

George, not to mention owner Steve Ballmer, apparently has no interest in looking ahead, though. As the eight-time All-Star hosted Ballmer on the latest edition of Podcast P with Paul George presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment, the pair reflected back on their time joining the Clippers, with George fondly recalling the Las Vegas celebration commemorating his trade to the team he grew up rooting for.

“When the trade went down, I was in Vegas at the time, and it was during the big earthquake that happened in Vegas,” George said. “I had to celebrate. I had to go out. I bought cigars for everybody. I might've bought like 20 cigars, even for people I didn't know. I was just passing 'em out in my section. I went really hard that night, and I think Lou Will was in Vegas at the time, Pat Bev was in Vegas at the time. ‘Cause I was a childhood Clipper fan, it just hits different. I don't know if people really recognize when you get a chance to play back home, what that means.”

Keep George's sincere fondness for LA in mind throughout 2023-24. Injury histories may keep team president Lawrence Frank and the front office from making more massive, long-term financial commitments to he and Leonard this season, but don't mistake that likelihood for neither player wanting to continue their careers with the Clippers.