When a franchise finishes its season in disappointment, there will always be rumors surrounding the roster's future. Take the Los Angeles Clippers, for example. A star-studded team, they ended their campaign with a first-round playoff loss earlier this month. And right now, the biggest uncertainty on the squad is arguably Paul George.

George has yet to sign a contract extension with the Clippers. He has the chance to become a free agent this summer by choosing to decline his player option for the upcoming season. Additionally, the talk of the town is that many other front offices have taken interest in the wingman. In fact, one of the aspects that rival teams might be capitalizing on is Kawhi Leonard's contract.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports writes the following in a recent article:

“George’s uncertain future with the Clippers stands as arguably the largest domino to fall before this offseason’s chain of transactions can materialize, particularly as George has not found an extension with Los Angeles now five months after Kawhi Leonard came to a three-year, $153 million agreement of his own. That number was notably well below the four-year, $223 million maximum the Clippers could have furnished Leonard, which sent immediate shockwaves to rival front offices that George’s situation could prove more complicated than previously imagined. If they weren’t willing to pay Kawhi the max, opposing front offices deliberated, why would they be willing to pay George that salary?”

More on the Clippers' Paul George situation

Could a max deal be the deciding factor in the PG13 sweepstakes? It's highly possible. However, there's two sides to the same coin in this scenario. On one hand, George is arguably past his prime. The nine-time All-Star is already 34 years old, meaning it won't be long before Father Time poses a significant obstacle to his on-court abilities.

On the other hand, George can still perform at present. This past season, the 6-foot-8 scorer averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, landing him his most recent All-Star appearance. While these numbers aren't jaw-dropping, it can be noted that George had to share the ball with other stars such as Leonard, James Harden and Russell Westbrook on the Clippers.

Back in February, George told ClutchPoints' Tom Azarly that “the goal” is to come to an agreement with his team on an extension. All things considered, one could speculate that an insufficient amount of money is indeed the roadblock that's causing delay. After all, unless there's some sort of rift between him and his teammates, there's no reason why George would turn down a max contract offer.

If the Clippers want to get a deal done, they have to act fast. Right now, other teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers seem to be interested in the vet. Losing George means that LA will be stuck with one less aging star. And unless the team parts ways with James Harden as well, there won't be enough cap room for significant offseason moves.