Paul George is the biggest domino in free agency, until his decision falls the decisions on other players — potential trades for Brandon Ingram or Zach LaVine, for example — are likely on hold. George said on his podcast that “playing the right style of basketball is what I’m chasing” in free agency.
He’s also chasing max money and years, but the years are proving to be a hang-up — the Clippers aren’t offering them, and often-mentioned Goerge landing spots such as Orlando and Philadelphia appear to be looking for shorter-term details. Keith Pompey at the Philadelphia Inquirer summed it up nicely.
He has until [June 29] to opt into his $48.8 million contract for next season or become an unrestricted free agent. The Clippers can offer him a four-year, $221 million deal. However, they haven’t been willing to offer more than the three years, $152.3 million they gave Kawhi Leonard. The problem is George wants a four-year deal. The Sixers and other squads can offer four years and around $212 million.
Can but haven’t, with the 76ers interest in George reportedly fading (which could be Philadelphia spinning his lack of interest in them, or it might be a negotiation tactic). Orlando is reportedly offering players (such as Klay Thompson) large two-year deals but doesn’t want to commit to stars long-term.
One of the trends of this free agency has been that teams with cap space are looking at larger, shorter-term deals rather than big four-year offers. This follows the pattern of how Indiana poached Bruce Brown from the then-champion Nuggets a year ago, a big two-year, $45 million contract that he couldn’t turn down (and Denver couldn’t match).
One option for a frustrated George is to opt into the $48.8 million and then ask the Clippers for a trade, something Brian Windhorst of ESPN floated on “First Take.” That may well get George to a new home — unlike Leonard, he wasn’t willing to take a discount to stay at home in Los Angeles — but it doesn’t solve the contract length issue, he would still need to negotiate with his new team. George may want to talk to his teammate James Harden about opting in and expecting a certain contract as a reward.
The Clippers are just waiting the situation out, their offer on the table and no reason to modify it. Yet. Maybe that changes, but George — coming off an All-Star season where he averaged 22.6 points a game with a 61.3 true shooting percentage in 74 games — is finding the market a little drier than he clearly expected.
