Clippers' Paul George opting in appears more likely as deadline nears

06/25/2024 08:23 PM

After what initially appeared like a lock, Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers do not appear to be on track to agree to a contract extension before the June 29th deadline.

George, who has a player option worth $48.7 million for the 2024-25 season, is expected to be the first domino that everyone awaits this free agency. Will George opt in or will he opt out?

Opting out allows George to test free agency. The problem over the last few days, however, appears to be the dwindling number of teams willing to outright sign him to a deal in free agency. Reports mentioning teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, and Indiana Pacers have died down quite a bit. That doesn’t mean those teams don’t have interest in still signing George to the max contract they were rumored to, but it is noteworthy given how loud the noise was throughout the year.

Opting into the final year of his deal would allow George to seek a trade where he could extend with his new team. While there’s always a chance that George returns to the Clippers on the more team-friendly deal they’ve been looking to sign him to, this more plausible scenario of opting in and seeking a trade is what’s picked up a lot of steam over the last few days as George and the Clippers, at this time, appear to be trending towards an end to their partnership.

How This Started

Back in January, Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers surprisingly agreed on a three-year, $150 million contract extension. The team’s best albeit unreliable player declined his player option for the 2024-25 season, signed for less than the max, and also took one fewer year than he could’ve.

The news came from out of nowhere and most of the leverage that Paul George had, or planned to have, disappeared.

On the day of Leonard’s extension announcement in January and one month later just prior the All-Star break, Paul George said that his goal was to sign an extension with the Clippers and he was optimistic it would get done.

He also, however, hinted that the two sides were not exactly seeing eye to eye on the specifics, which was causing the delay in the extension.

Here were the 3 times we asked Paul George about extension talks and the dates:

Jan. 10, 2024: PG says he's optimistic on the day of Kawhi's extension announcement

Feb. 10, 2024: Exactly one month later, PG says extension is still the goal

Apr. 20, 2024: PG does not answer… https://t.co/140DbV5CY9pic.twitter.com/j2UwX2jA2J

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) June 25, 2024

During an April press conference before the start of the NBA Playoffs, George was asked a follow up about his current contract situation and if the two sides were tabling talks until after the postseason. George did not answer the question, got up, and left in frustration without answering the question.

Without Kawhi Leonard healthy in the postseason, George was given a golden opportunity to showcase his value and lead the Clippers. If he was able to lead the team again without Leonard, the organization may have been more inclined to pay him. Instead, George turned in his worst playoff performance since his third season in the NBA, averaging 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists on 41.1 percent shooting from the field and 36.7 percent from three against the Dallas Mavericks.

For a good portion of the series, George appeared older, slower, and way too reliant on his jumpshot without Leonard on the floor for the series. Simply put the jumper wasn’t falling, George struggled to be effective on the offensive end.

As ClutchPoints reported back in April, Paul George has desired the four-year, $221 million max deal from the Clippers. Neither the money nor the years have been on the table from the Clippers in any extension talks, league sources told ClutchPoints. The deal offered to George, one source said, was shy of Leonard’s three-year, $150 million deal. That continues to be the case with George now four days away from his opt-in deadline. From the Clippers’ perspective, multiple parts go into why this makes sense.

Strictly from a team-building aspect, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn’t allow teams to freely spend as much as they want to build the best roster. The introduction of the second apron and the harsh penalties that are associated with being over that threshold have scared a lot of teams into rethinking how they operate.

Additionally, the Clippers were able to draw a line in the sand on any new deal Paul George would be offered when Kawhi Leonard, unquestionably the team’s best player when healthy, signed his new deal for three years and $150 million. The Clippers want to align Leonard, George, and James Harden on similar three-year deals that would allow them to build the roster accordingly for potential championship runs over the next few years.

Beyond that, George has not helped his case with remarks he’s made over the years. He was one of the players who kept publicly pushing for the Clippers to acquire a point guard because he couldn’t handle ball-handling responsibilities after complaining that Doc Rivers used him off the ball too much. He also publicly asked for Russell Westbrook and contradicted President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank hours after Frank described the type of player the organization wouldn’t want.

He publicly questioned what the team’s identity was during a rough patch in the regular season, causing confusion and immense frustration from members of the team. Tyronn Lue did his best to hide it, but he immediately refuted the sentiment and was irate at the idea itself, asking, ‘did we not have an identity when we went 26-5?’

Just last week, George said a championship isn’t his number one priority when considering his future and it’s moreso about, ‘the right style of basketball,’ which could be taken as jab at James Harden’s isolation-heavy brand of basketball.

What is Paul George’s Contract Worth?

George doesn’t agree with the LA Clippers’ current line of thinking regarding his value.

According to multiple sources, George and his camp believe there’s a max contract offer for him on the market, and thus believe that’s their leverage with the Clippers. They also believe part of their leverage is that George has been healthier and more available than Leonard during their Clippers tenure, and is coming off a year in which he shot career highs from the field, from three, and from the free throw line.

He can also say he led the Clippers the furthest they’ve ever gone in the NBA Playoffs, just two games shy of the NBA Finals in 2021. Additionally, if a team out there is willing to give George the contract he desires — whether it be as a free agent or in an extension — then George feels that is what he’s worth.

That mindset may shift if the market dictates that he’s not a max contract-worthy player.

Since coming to Los Angeles in 2019, Paul George has played in 302 of a possible 435 games for the Clippers, regular season and playoffs. Kawhi Leonard has played in 257 of the possible 435 games for the Clippers in that same span.

Including both regular season and playoffs, Leonard and George have a 137-70 record when they play together, a .662 winning percentage. They're 124-57 (.685) together in the regular season and just 13-13 (.500) together in the playoffs.

Kawhi Leonard & Paul George's records in their first 5 years together with Clippers:

2019-20:
50 games played (27-10 reg, 7-6 post)

2020-21:
54 games played (32-11 reg, 6-5 post)

2021-22:
0 games

2022-23:
38 games played (24-14 reg, 0-0 post)

2023-24:
65 games played (41-22…

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) June 21, 2024

Leonard and George’s relationship is also considered great. The two have gotten along very well over the years both on as well as off the court and understand both have simply dealt with bad luck and injuries at most inopportune times. The Clippers and George would both like to continue their partnership as well, truly believing there remains a path to championship contention with him, Leonard, and James Harden on a revamped roster, one source said.

In Los Angeles, George is home and has the chance to be close to his family, including his parents, who attend nearly every Clippers home game. George’s mother suffered a stroke when he was just six years old and requires a wheelchair to get around. He and his family also make it a point to host a handful of families who have been affected by a stroke every Christmas to a fun night of dinner, games, lots of gifts, and — more than anything else — support. Would George consider leaving all this over a couple million dollars?

Paul George hosted his 6th Annual Christmas Celebration at Dave & Buster's, where 5 families who a stroke within their family has impacted.

Each family received Nike PG6's, PG jerseys, children's wish list items, Clippers tickets for everyone, and free games at D&B's. pic.twitter.com/sfxoewr9Qb

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) December 20, 2022

The Clippers want George to stay and George wants to stay with the Clippers. They just clearly want to do it on different terms. These negotiations are simply showcasing the business and strategic sides of the NBA under the new CBA.

As the June 29th deadline to opt in or out of his deal nears with no max offer from the Clippers, the increasingly likely scenario is that that Paul George will opt in and request a trade with the hopes of finding a team that will offer him the contract he wants. There is always the chance that George agrees to the extension the Clippers have on the table before the Saturday deadline, but that seems like the less likely scenario as of Tuesday afternoon.

Reports from last week stated that the Philadelphia 76ers’ interest in Paul George has, ‘waned,’ over the last few weeks. Sources told ClutchPoints that Philadelphia’s interest in George remains very real, but they also want to keep other options open in the event that George returns to Los Angeles or opts into the final year of his deal.

Last summer, there were reports about the New York Knicks inquiring about a Paul George trade, but were said to be scared off when they found out he was asking for a four-year max extension. It’s hard to imagine a team giving George the offer he desires, but these next few days will be telling.

Free agency is set to begin on June 30th at 3PM PST. With the NBA Draft this week as well, this will be an incredibly busy week in the NBA that may be waiting on the domino that is Paul George.

(ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel contributed to this report)

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