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Despite playing three teams over his, storied 14-year NBA career, Paul George never has truly tested the waters of free agency. That seems bound to change unless the Los Angeles Clippers are ready to pay up.
The 34-year-old has yet to make a decision regarding his player option for $48.8 million next season, but as it usually goes with superstars in the final year of their deals, George is likely to decline it in favour of a long-term deal.
Though not eligible for a supermax contract, George can sign a four-year, $221.1-million deal and many teams should be ready to hand him such a contract. However, it’s possible that while a return to the Clippers seems the most likely scenario, they may not be willing to give the wing a full four-year deal.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, though the Clippers believe George wants to stay in his hometown of L.A., they’re unwilling to give him more than the three-year, $149.7-million contract they gave to co-star Kawhi Leonard back in January.
The Philadelphia 76ers present an interesting landing spot. Connections between player and franchise have been the talking point since Joel Embiid and George appeared on a pre-game show together ahead of Game 4 of the NBA Finals. But the rumours have swelled to more than just side-eyes and body-language analysis from the two stars.
Despite the clear interest, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported last Thursday that interest had “significantly waned in recent days,” and the 76ers are expected to pursue other options with their upcoming cap flexibility.
However, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey wasn’t so sure the 76ers were completely out of the sweepstakes and reported that a deal for George would make too much sense for Philadelphia. He goes on to mention that while the Clippers seem unwilling to offer him a four-year deal, the 76ers are able to give him a four-year, $212-million contract.
Pompey also suggests possible routes for the 76ers to acquire George past just signing him outright, with a sign-and-trade as an option. According to the report, upcoming unrestricted free agent Tobias Harris has been a player that the Clippers have “some level of interest” in.
The other team to keep an eye on in the race is apparently the New York Knicks as they look for a second star to pair with Jalen Brunson next season, Marc Stein reported on Sunday.
However, the Knicks don’t have the cap space available to make a run at him in free agency or acquire him via sign-and-trade. Instead, George would have to opt into his player option by the June 29 deadline and request a trade to New York.
Others in the wing market
Only so many teams can actually acquire the services of George, with the price tag set just a bit too high for plenty of contenders on the market. But no front office is without a plan B.
The wing market has expanded in recent days as players have started to get thrown around in the trade machine. Notably, Jimmy Butler and
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