Paul George said in a his latest podcast (Twitter video link) that he “never wanted to leave L.A.,” but he was frustrated by negotiations with the Clippers, including an initial offer that he viewed as “kinda disrespectful.”
Wearing his new Sixers jersey, George explained that his preference was to re-sign with the Clippers and try to help them win their first-ever title. He emphasized that there are “no hard feelings” toward the organization, but said the first offer he received when contract talks started in October was $60MM over two years, which he called “crazy.”
“As we kept going, they would go up inches, inches, inches, to where it was like 44, 45,” George said, “but this was like a couple months in between before we got it to 40-something. I’m still like, ‘Nah, I’m not doing that. Then I hear wind of what they’re going to give Kawhi (Leonard). So I’m like ‘Just give me what Kawhi got. Y’all view us the same. We came here together. … I’ll take what Kawhi got.’ I was cool with that.”
George noted that Leonard accepted less than the max when he agreed to a three-year, $152.4MM extension in January, adding that he was willing to do the same to keep the core of the team together. George’s negotiations remained unproductive until he halted talks around the All-Star break because he didn’t want the new contract to be a distraction for the rest of the season.
“Season ends, I finish healthy, 74 games played and had one of my most efficient seasons,” George said. “So now we go into negotiations, now they bring it to three years, $150MM. It sucks that we had to get to this point, that we couldn’t get this figured out a lot sooner. I’m like all right, now we’re in the ballpark. Now we can have a conversation here.”
George said he was willing to accept that offer as long as the Clippers included a no-trade clause to make sure he got to stay in Southern California. When the team refused, he increased his asking price to four years at $212MM.
“If y’all going to trade me, y’all going to trade me,” he said. “But at least now I’m not in a situation where I could have got more had I just gone to free agency than take this deal and y’all can just ship me wherever (you) want. Now I’m on this deal that I didn’t want. They didn’t want to do that.”
George said that’s when he became open to exploring offers from other teams. That led him to schedule free agency meetings with the Sixers and Magic and ultimately accept a four-year max offer from Philadelphia.
“Through negotiations, they weren’t budging, they weren’t going to budge,” George said of Clippers management. “I wasn’t going to budge. I thought I played well enough for them to, you know, be like ‘He’s a part of our future.’ I thought I did that. I thought I earned that. Granted we didn’t win while I was there, but luck has a lot to do with that. We couldn’t remain healthy as a unit. But I thought I did enough to earn that.
“… I love (Clippers owner Steve Ballmer). I love (team president Lawrence Frank), but at that point it didn’t even feel right to come back with that type of energy and be comfortable playing back in L.A.”
It had to be money, because the only dynasty he’s starting in Philly is the All-NBA Rehab Table Goof Troop Gang.
Yeah, much shorter version….money.
let it go. Clippers needed to get under the tax. Thanks to the new CBA very team has to get rid of players.
Agreed. If the Clipps kept him they would have to have done salary gymnastics. Everyone would criticize the “aging Clippers” for keeping together the group after “it didn’t work”. George is injured as a Clipp and everyone scolds them for running it back. If he’s injured as a Sixer, they recieve the same criticism.
It’s en vogue to criticize the Clippers now but we are talking about a core of stars in their mid 30s. Still plenty of talent but a little risky.
Clippers did this because they had to. It was a tough but prudent decision.
As a Clippers fan I wish PG13 nothing but the best, will always be a fan but I understand the decision as painful as it is.
Strange how people don’t understand the CBA was designed so no club can buy a championship.
Who is a better player, Harden or George?
This is what I view.
76ers trade Harden to Clippers for George.
The fact that PG increased his ask after they told him no on a no-trade clause just shows that he doesn’t get it. Nobody is getting a no-trade unless it’s a forever superstar like Jokic. Regular stars aren’t getting it. Older superstars aren’t getting one. Guys who have requested even a single trade in their entire careers aren’t getting one. PG is two out of those three. And the Bradley Beal no-trade turned out to be a near disaster for the Wizards.
The NTC is so rare, only like a dozen players in NBA history have ever gotten a formalized one. It’s not MLB, where no-trades and partial no-trades are handed out like candy.
I think wanting a NTC in a situation where you are knowingly leaving money on the table is reasonable though.
I don’t blame the Clippers for not giving him 4 years or a NTC but I also don’t blame George for recognizing his leverage and wanting better.
The only idiot here is Philly. That’s a lot of money for a guy who will injure his shoulder by Christmas.
I don’t blame him for using leverage, but that being the reason smacks of either a lack of awareness or that he’s not being truthful. It was never realistic for him to receive a NTC, and he should know that. That’s what I meant.
I don’t think it’s either. He felt disrespected by their initial offers and then saw what Kawhi got and asked for the same offer and the Clippers balked. Sure Kawhi is the better player but he’s on the floor less than PG and that has to be a leverage point for PG.
So at the end it comes down to respect. In his mind, in order for the Clips to show they actually respect and value him they either need to meet his NTC demand on a 3 year deal or meet the 4 year deal price. The Clips called his bluff and walked away empty handed. Sure they didn’t have to give him a big contract but given how much they traded for him in the first place plus their complete lack of success during the Kawhi/PG tenure and that PG now walked for nothing and the Clips don’t have any real way to replace him the Clips are stuck in limbo for at least the next two seasons if not longer.
So he’s not being truthful, and is hiding that he feels disrespected behind “they wouldn’t meet an impossible demand or give me max money”.
Like, yes, he was in a high-leverage position. But mentioning anything about the NTC which was *never going to happen* is a lame dodge of the actual reality that they wouldn’t pay him max money and the Sixers did. And if he *did* actually ask for a NTC, that’s a lack of awareness, because teams don’t give those out, and nor should they given how the NBA trade landscape works.
He either wanted max money and couldn’t get it from the Clippers, so he went elsewhere, or he doesn’t understand why NTCs don’t happen and got butthurt about it. If it’s the former, nobody cares outside Clippers fandom. If it’s the latter, PG13 is foolish.
I’d say the Clippers didn’t get it.
If you want his level of talent on a discount and for less years you have to give up something – if you’re not going to do that, why should they give up something for you.
He got his money that he wouldn’t have gotten – the Clippers spend less and are less relevant. Everyone’s happy!
PG just not right in the head. He’s nowhere near Kawhi. Plus he has playoff and health issues. Pass
The fact that PG wanted a no trade clause makes me very happy, as a clippers fan, that they said no.
Bye Felicia!
PGs open-market was going to clearly be 4 yrs, $212m. I think PGs ask of a no-trade clause if he did a 3 yr, $152m deal was a reasonable request. This may have more to do with the salary gymnastics each of the next 3 yrs than it does with anything else.
I’ll tell you what’s crazy. It’s getting over 50 million bucks a year to play an 82 game schedule! And then miss a large part of it due to being a wimp!!
George played 74 games so I assume you’re referring to Kawhi.
have a feeling the sixers are pretty satisfied with PG8 and the draft capital they have from the harden trade
The open market worked for George. Good for him. The Clippers gave up their future for George. OkC is now the best in the west Thanks Paul!
This all sounds completely reasonable from both perspectives. Sometimes it is just best to move on when things don’t benefit both parties.
So let’s be clear $45 million per year is disrespectful to a guy that plays 55 games per year and has never won anything?
Also – news flash – Kawhi – despite his own injury issues – is better than you are.
The 2 years at 60 million was the disrespect.
Sixers fans will eventually learn, PG’s enthusiasm and availability for podcasts are way different compared to how he treats the playoffs.
It’s so disrespectful to be offered $60 million dollars to play basketball…..
Have some self awareness PG