6:15pm: George intends to meet with the Clippers, Sixers, and Magic late on Sunday night and into Monday, according to reports from Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).
3:43pm: Clippers star forward Paul George has decided to turn down his $48.8MM player option for the 2024/25 season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
The move puts George on track to become an unrestricted free agent, and he intends to schedule meetings with the Clippers – who control his Bird rights – and other suitors with cap room beginning on Sunday evening, says Wojnarowski.
The decision also means that an opt-in-and-trade scenario is off the table for George, so over-the-cap teams who were hoping to acquire him – including the Warriors – will no longer have a realistic path to do so.
George turned 34 in May but has continued to produce like one of the NBA’s best wings in recent years. In 74 games in 2023/24, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in 33.8 minutes per game, posting a strong shooting line of .471/.413/.907.
The Clippers signed their other star forward – Kawhi Leonard – to a three-year, $152MM contract extension in January and have reportedly attempted to get George locked up to a similar deal, which is below his maximum in terms of both years (he can get up to four) and dollars. The Los Angeles native has been unwilling to sign what his hometown team has put on the table so far and – with the two sides apparently at a stalemate – will weigh his options on the open market.
The Sixers, who will have more than enough cap room to accommodate a maximum-salary contract, have long been viewed as the biggest threat to the Clippers for George. A report last week indicated that Philadelphia’s interest in pursuing George had “waned,” but Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears from sources that the 76ers are still expected to aggressively try to lure George away from the West Coast. The Magic are another team with significant cap room that has been mentioned as a potential suitor.
[RELATED: Multiple Suitors Reportedly Willing To Offer Paul George Four-Year Deal]
As our maximum-salary projections for 2024/25 show, rival suitors will be able to offer George up to a projected $212.2MM over four years, while the Clippers could bid up to about $221MM over those four years. Typically, Los Angeles would be able to offer a fifth year to a Bird-rights free agent, but that’s not an option for George due to the over-38 rule.
While a sign-and-trade deal sending George to a new team is technically possible, it likely won’t be a practical option for over-the-cap suitors. A team that takes back salary in exchange for a signed-and-traded player becomes hard-capped at the second tax apron, so acquiring upwards of $40MM in salaries for George probably won’t be viable for the Clippers.
Sixers 20% or stays with Clips 80%.
Not saying with Clips clears salary room. Curious as to what options the ips would have? What route would they take? What does the team look like next year?
The smartest plan so far this yea：
Lakers plan to talk to Harden about MLE offer
Those are great questions. Not sure anyone has the answers LOL
Stay away from Philly…Please
He most likely will, he’s a West coast guy and has heard from reliable sources that Daryl Morey is a liar.
Frog that source was reliable in Oklahoma city,I mean Houston, I mean new jersey, I mean Philly, I mean los angeles.
New Jersey? Lol that team doesnt exist it is Brooklyn, Brooklyn is a borough in New York not New Jersey.
I have mixed feelings about it. I’m not sure he would push us into contention….but I’m not sure I see another path?
George is a perfect fit in Philly. Would slide in seamlessly.
Slide into the injured list seamlessly.
Ah yea nice retort mango, vicious. Nasty stuff. Original.
Boo!!!
Glorious day so now i will not hear anymore George coming to the warriors rumors.
Why are you against the Warriors adding good players? PG is better than Wiggins
Because Warriors would had to also give up Kuminga and our other youngsters for 34 yr old player and commit $200m contract.
George will demand a max contract. That would put them so over that they couldn’t sign anyone else for the next 4 years. It would also cost them so much they wouldn’t be able to resign any of their young players. Something will happen just need to wait and be patient.
@arc89 I sure hope so… My big want now is Marcus Smart, I want the Warriors to put excellent defenders everywhere!
Draymond is doing an excellent job defending them from winning a championship lol
Draymond played really well last season, way better than he was in 2022. If he simply did not get suspended, GSW is in a better place. But as far as gameplay goes, he’s better than ever. He stopped shooting entirely for like 3-4 years but he’s back to being a normal shooter now, along with his elite defense.
Is he really? He is definitely is a better offensive player but I think it has become clear over the years that PG isnt willing to do the dirty work and the little things that make you a champion like Wiggins did. Also PG is a lot older and will make a lot more money. Is paying Paul George, an injury prone player, 50 million at age 38 a great thing? I dont think so
Paul George is closer to Westbrook than he is Tatum. Good for him if he can get an idiot GM to pay him another $100+ million contract. Kawahi and PGs game does not translate to being great as they age. Chris Paul, Durant, Lebron, Steph curry can play til they’re 55 because of certain skills that don’t rely heavily on athleticism. Kawhi and PG are more like D rose and Westbrook. Flashes of greatness but not consistent enough to win. Cheers to them for getting paid Haha to the owners that is going to pay them
Worst take ever
So you think PG and Kawhi are going to better in their late 30’s than they were in their early 30’s? Because the last few years have been forgettable for both.
The Sixers might take the bait!! Who knows he could come in and win a ship with Embiid and Maxey. Then he’d be worth every penny. Or he could come in and be hurt throughout the 4 years and close the window they had with Embiid.
I think he will eventually sign with clippers for a similar contract as Kawhi.
I think the sixers should sign derozan and kcp and call it a day.
I actually think you’re onto something with that one. I like that a lot for the 6ers. Maxey is one of my favorite players. Those two compliment his game and will help him become more of a leader!
The Sixers would be foolish to give George a four year deal for $200 million. The Sixers are in a great position with Embiid, Maxey and an open roster to fill in with the ‘right’ players.
I’m curious how much he wants to contend vs. get paid. Spurs currently have $34.4M in cap space. I’d love to see him play with Wembanyama, but they might have too many wings already and won’t yet contend for a few more years. If George just wants money, Detroit and Orlando would be the places. Not much winning though.
More winning in ORL than LAC, right?
Wembanyama turned those spurs around last year didn’t he.
That’s what I’m getting at. George would be part of a rebuild with the Spurs but it would still be fun to see those 2 on the same team. El Don, more winning in Orlando than Detroit. They were surprisingly decent this year. More winning than LAC? I’m guessing yes. I don’t think George goes back to LA and they have several decisions to make.
San Antonio hasn’t shown that they are trying to win. They are only paying Wemby 13 million this year, but there aren’t any rumors that they are trying to add real talent to take advantage of that cheap contract.
Most likely restructuring the contract or tampering with Sixers
Yea they seem like the two most likely scenarios happening behind the scenes nobody is talking about or knows about.
George should not hold any meeting with Clippers after he receives contract offering from 76ers or Magic.
This is just unfair to 76ers and Magic.
Sillivan, the meetings with the other 2 teams is to get the offers first to use as leverage against the Clippers. Then he’ll go to the Clippers and tell them if they don’t match it he’s out. Like it or not, it’s a good business move by PG.
Leverage when he get more years and more money from the clippers tuna ? Well thought out comment.
4 years both ways $212 vs 221 (estimate) is the difference….plus the taxes would be less outside of Cali if that is a sticking point
For this money you can fill starters,bench and another five years of future
Woe to the team that gets Podcast P.
He’ll play just enough games during the regular season, then disappear come playoffs, literally and figuratively.
Sure nice try
It’s as accurate as can be.
So no PG13, Dejounte Murray, or Mikal Bridges, and will assume no shot at Jimmy Buckets or Giannis. How do the Warriors get better then? Run it back and hope for the best?? – joking – Someone (Warriors fan or not) please propose a REALISTIC trade idea the Warriors brass should look into. I wouldn’t mind seeing ANY of the following get moved:
Klay (sign and trade)
Dray (only if part of a significant return; majority of the blame pointed in his direction for the 2024 season)
Kuminga
Wiggins
Looney
GP2
CP3
Jackson-Davis/Podziemski (only if their inclusion is the final piece of a major deal where you can unanimously say the ‘25 Warriors are better than the ‘24 Warriors – on paper, at least)
My definition of trade away: upgrade
I’d like to trade away following 3 groups
Group 1
Klay and Dray
Group 2
CP3 and GP2
Group 3
Kuminga and Moody
Wiggins and Looney have no value to trade
How about……..
KUMINGA, WIGGINS, and CP3
for
INGRAM and MURPHY III (he may have had his best shooting game of his career at Dubs late in the ‘24 season)
PG-Curry
SG-Murphy III
SF-Ingram
PF-Green
C-Jackson-Davis
—————————-
Podziemski, Moody (don’t wanna give up on him yet), Looney, GP2, Santos, Quinones, DRAFT PICKS/G-LEAGUE/2-ways, FREE AGENCY (i.e.- convince Kevin Love to accept a team-friendly deal?)
The Warriors get better by letting Klay and Cp3 go and bringing back the same roster. But now you will have to give more minutes and a bigger role to the young guys like Moody, Kuminga, Podziemski and TJD. Thats the reason they drafted them right? Also the biggest issue with this Warriors team was their advanced age, so let the old guys leave and play the young guys, its time.
DeM DeR should be the Sixers top choice.
Knowing DA Morey , he I’ll offer him max.
PG is not Bron. He will get hurt again. He’s fools gold.
Well Paul George is giving everyone a chance
That seems fair
PG13 stars in the Last Max Free Agent. Complete with team meetings. If only he weren’t a fossil, this would have the whole league’s attention. But of course, if he weren’t a fossil, then he’d already have reupped with the LAC.
There really aren’t very many logical destinations for him. People will try to spin a narrative out of whatever his ultimate decision is, but it’s going to depend more on the dynamics of negotiations with 3-4 specific teams more than it is on how he weighs money versus winning.
Does a Embiid Maxey PG13 top-heavy team fair any better than Durant Booker Beal? Collectively the former is better, but one room exception player, 2 rookies, Counsil, and vet mins doesn’t scream Finals. The one wild card would be then doing a S&T w KMJ and 4 FRPs which would hard cap them I believe.
But they could conceivably get a quality player with that move.