As we inch closer and closer to the official start of NBA free agency, one of the biggest names to keep an eye on as the league's offseason begins is Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George. George is a nine-time NBA All-Star who has made over $300 million in his career. He's a fourteen year veteran who has scored over 18,000 points in his career. Despite the fact that he hasn't achieved deep postseason success — George has made a pair of Conference Finals appearances, one in Indiana and another with the Clippers — and his reputation is that of a Playoff choker, his career playoff numbers (21.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals) actually hold up well against his career regular season averages (20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals).
So, that leads us to the question, What the hell are the Los Angeles Clippers doing?
Just to catch everyone up, Paul George still has one year remaining on his deal, however, he does have an opt out which would allow him to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. We're just a little over a week away from the deadline for George to make his decision, and right now, signs point to him leaving that final year on the table to enter free agency. This is in large part due to the Clippers' apparent disinterest in giving Paul George a contract worth $221 million over 4 years, let alone one bigger than they've already given Kawhi Leonard.
But the Clippers are playing a dangerous game here, because as ESPN's Brian Windhorst points out, there are other suiters out there with money to spend and a clear role for Paul George to occupy.
As Brian Windhorst mentions, the summer of 2024 will be a big one for the Clippers, because in addition to Paul George, the Clippers also need to decide what they are going to do with James Harden, another free agent who will expect big money to remain in LA. Will the Clippers let both George and Harden walk and become, as Windhorst put it, “a cap space team.” And if that's the case, then who is the favorite to land Paul George?
The Clippers have competition for Paul George this summer
On the latest episode of his own personal podcast, Podcast P, George explained what he's looking for from a basketball situation standpoint.
“At this point, I'm not even necessarily, this is not even about — people say chasing a championship, it's not that. It's playing the right style of basketball is what I'm chasing,” George recently said on his podcast. Is the right style of basketball in LA, where he needs to take turns with James Harden and Kawhi Leonard? Or could it be in Philadelphia, where George's skillset would seemingly match quite well with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
The Philadelphia 76ers pursuit of Paul George is well-documented. George is Philly's Plan A in free agency, and recently, Joel Embiid went about as far as he could to recruit Paul George to The City of Brotherly Love without stepping over that imaginary tampering line. But the 76ers are not the only Eastern Conference playoff team that is rumored to be in the mix for Paul George.
On another recent episode of Podcast P, George was prompted with the question, “Which 25-and-under star — excluding Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, and Anthony Edwards — would you choose to build a team around.” His answer was a bit surprising, and perhaps a hint of what's to come this summer.
“There's a lot of talent that's under 25, but I think who's shown that they're ready for that next jump, I think was a star…for sure Paolo [Banchero],” George said (h/t Elaine Blum of Orlando Magic Daily). A comment like this won't go unnoticed, especially at this time of the year, when Orlando has a huge chance to upgrade a roster that surprisingly won 47 games this past season.
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