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Paul George could have been with the Golden State Warriors. The nine-time NBA All-Star believed that he was on the verge of getting sent to the Dubs based on the information he had when his offseason fate was still in limbo.
“That was a real thing that was close to being done. That deal was close to being done from what I was being told on the situation.
“They was expressing just how much they wanted me there, how I could have fit in perfectly with Draymond [Green], Steph [Curry],” George opened up about the Warriors' failed attempt at bringing him over to Golden State, George said on Monday's edition of the Podcast P with Paul George.
Trading a player like George was always going to be a tricky one for the Clippers and whichever side wanted to make a move on the 34-year-old forward.
“Klay [Thompson] probably would've stayed. [Brandin] Podziemski, [Jonathan] Kuminga, [Andrew] Wiggins. They didn't know how or what package was going to be there to trade for me…[Kevon] Looney was going to be there, and so it was very intriguing, and it was still an opportunity to stay close to home, stay on the West Coast, and it was a win-win,” George added.
In the end, it was the Philadelphia 76ers who won the Paul George sweepstakes. George decided against picking up his $48.79 million player option for the 2024-25 NBA season with the Clippers and agreed to a $211.58 million contract with the 76ers.
Paul George to the Warriors is now a big what-if
While George seems happy that he has a new home with the 76ers, he's not hiding his regret over missing out on the chance to play with Stephen Curry and the rest of the Warriors.
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“I think Steph is a unicorn, one of one player, and Joel’s a unicorn…So it was kind of like a good situation to be in the middle of, but ultimately the deal didn't go through. I think Clippers didn't want a certain trade deal that Warriors were willing to give, and yeah, it just didn't happen, but it was close. It'd been dope, man. I was looking forward to it if it happened.”
George would have been a terrific addition to the Warriors if things worked out between them and the Clippers. At this point, he's mostly perceived as a better (two-way) player than Klay Thompson, who left the Warriors for Texas where he will be playing with Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
In other words, George could have been the big upgrade over Thompson for the Warriors, who missed the playoffs in the 2023-24 NBA season with a 46-36 record.
The window for another NBA title with Curry at the forefront of their attack is closing for the Warriors, so it's becoming paramount for them to find the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player the best help they can get him.
As for George, he and the Sixers should be a serious NBA title contender. With Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey plus George, Philadelphia has the trio to create lots of problems for opposing teams.
In what turned out to be his final campaign with the Clippers, George, who will be entering his 15th season in the league, averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while making 47.1 percent of his shots from the field and 41.3 percent from downtown.
