Subscribe
Follow Us
The first major domino of the 2024 NBA offseason has fallen, with Mikal Bridges heading to the New York Knicks in exchange for a boatload of first-round picks. Now, it seems like the next one to fall will be the Paul George domino. George and the Los Angeles Clippers have been in a contract negotiation stalemate for the past year or so, which is paving the way for other teams, such as the Golden State Warriors, to acquire him.
It's still unclear what the Warriors will be forced to give up in exchange for Paul George. But in the event that they swing a trade with the Clippers for the 34-year old forward, they could “potentially” give him the four-year deal he's looking for, as per Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
“Multiple teams out there are willing to trade for him an offer him the max four year contract that he isn't currently being offered by the Clippers,” Windhorst said on ESPN's Get Up show on Wednesday morning. “He wants a full out max and there are a number of teams out there, I am told, that are prepared to give it to him, who are prepared to trade for him. One of those teams, potentially, is up the coast in Golden State.”
Paul George and the Clippers, according to ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel, “have been far apart in contract negotiations”. George is seeking a four-year deal, while the Clippers have only reportedly offered a similar three-year deal to the one Kawhi Leonard took. This difference in contract desires has made a potential opt-in and trade more and more likely with each passing day, with the Warriors being one of the teams interested in the nine-time All-Star. And it seems like they are going to put their money where their mouth is.
Any team that will be trading for George in the event of an opt-in knows that they'll have to sign him to a contract extension to make the trade worth their while. With Klay Thompson looking likely to leave the Warriors amid contract negotiation frustrations, as per Siegel, George would slot in nicely as an elite floor-spacer, top-tier perimeter defender, and a secondary shot creator to put alongside Stephen Curry as Golden State looks to make one last push for a title before their contending window slams shut for good.
At 34, any investment in George will entail considerable risk. But George averaged 23/5/4 last season on 47/41/91 splits, and he will not have to do the heavy lifting with the Warriors, slotting in nicely as an elite second option who will thrive in the space Curry will create for him — tilting the risk/reward calculus in the Dubs' favor. But of course, it will all depend on what they give up in a trade.
Article Continues Below
The Warriors' last hurrah?
Klay Thompson may have a foot out the door in free agency already, which means the end of the Warriors dynasty as we know it. But this doesn't mean that the Dubs are just going to sit there and let the final prime years of Stephen Curry's career go to waste. Trading for Paul George signals their intent to contend… but what will they be willing to give up in return?
With the Clippers having close to no leverage, perhaps the Warriors are hoping to snag him for a cut-rate price. Alas, the Mikal Bridges trade recalibrated the trade values of two-way wings. Bridges is only turning 28 years old, making him six years younger than George. But Bridges has never made an All-Star team and he struggled as the Brooklyn Nets' first option this past season.
Thus, with that said, Paul George is going to net the Clippers a solid trade return even if he is in the final year of his contract similarly to how he netted the Indiana Pacers Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo back in 2017.
The Warriors will be fighting hard to keep Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski as well as Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis, preferring to trade away picks instead. The good news is that the Dubs have all of their first-round picks except for 2030, which means that the draft-pick route could be the way to go.
But of course, the Clippers will be urging the Dubs to give them one of their best young players to go along with the contracts of Andrew Wiggins and Chris Paul. Negotiations between the two teams should be very interesting to watch unfold. But given the Warriors' reported willingness to give George the contract he wants, the pressure is on for the Clippers to make a decision.
