While nothing is set in stone, it's looking more and more like the Clippers and Paul George could part ways this summer with each new report. Los Angeles is running out of time to offer the nine-time All-Star a new contract, and other teams are patiently lurking.
The Clippers haven't shown any interest in offering George a max deal, via ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
“What I find interesting about this is the stance that the Clippers are taking here,” Windhorst said. “This is a very important player to them, they're heavily invested him in the draft picks that they used to trade for him in the last few years. But they're not acting like they're desperate to keep him. We're so used to seeing these teams that are in danger of losing these star free agents pull out all the stops, and they're not offering him a max contract. They're not offering him max years. There are legitimate threats out there that could take him.”
George has until Saturday to opt in or out of his contract for next season. If he opts out, he'll be an unrestricted free agent.
Who could land “Playoff P” in free agency?
The Clippers will have competition from multiple other suitors.
There are several teams with the funds to sign George, but he'll realistically only leave for a contending squad.
“You know, look, the Detroit Pistons have $50-60 million in cap space, they could sign Paul George, but nobody considers Detroit a serious contender, and if it was just Detroit, I could get them taking this stance,” Windhorst continued. “But there are serious contenders out there, multiple teams that are ready to pay Paul George, and yet the Clippers have not, at least as far as I'm aware right here on Friday afternoon doing this show, the Clippers have not changed their stance.”
It's hard to imagine that Los Angeles would be okay with losing George without a contingency plan. Seeing a star player walk in free agency is devastating, especially one that the team invested several assets into.
“So you're asking yourself why?” Windhorst asked. “Why are they not worried about Philadelphia coming in Sunday night and landing Paul George with a huge offer? Why are they not worried about Paul George pulling out stops to try to force his way to Golden State? Why are they not worried about the long-shot possibility that he'd look at going back to Oklahoma City? Oklahoma City's got a bunch of salary cap space. There's gotta be a reason, I don't understand what it is Malika [Andrews], but that's what I'm fascinated about.”
The Warriors are an especially likely option, as they are prioritizing landing George over retaining Klay Thompson, via NBC Sports. While the Clippers could be working out a trade with one of these teams, that scenario is hard to believe without “Playoff P” opting into the final year of his contract. The former Indiana Pacer has until Saturday to decide, so the picture will be clearer once that decision comes.
Regardless, if George walks away for nothing in return, Los Angeles can kiss its championship hopes goodbye.
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