Paul George has opted out of the ultimate yr of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers and can grow to be an unrestricted free agent, CBS Sports activities’ Invoice Reiter confirms. He plans to arrange conferences with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Orlando Magic and the Clippers on Sunday evening, in keeping with The Athletic. George has been with the Clippers since their blockbuster acquisition of each him and Kawhi Leonard in the summertime of 2019. That duo has failed to succeed in the NBA Finals in 5 seasons collectively due largely to accidents each have suffered in or earlier than the postseason. Now, George will take into account different choices for his future.
Negotiations between George and the Clippers have been tense courting again to the season. In January, the Clippers signed Leonard to a three-year, $153 million extension that was beneath his max. Since then, studies have indicated that the Clippers hope to signal George to a deal just like that one. George, however, is hoping for a four-year max contract. He stated throughout the season that he hoped to determine a brand new cope with the Clippers, his hometown staff, however he took the chance of going unsigned into the summer season, and now he needs to be rewarded for that with a max contract.
If the Clippers do not blink and provide him a max contract, there are a number of groups anticipated to take action. The 76ers are on the high of that final, and hypothesis was rampant earlier this month when George appeared on ESPN’s NBA Countdown with 76ers star Joel Embiid. The Magic have additionally been a rumored vacation spot, and whereas no studies have related them, it is price noting that considered one of George’s former groups, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, have vital cap area and will probably attain the max by way of trades in the event that they wanted to.
The Clippers have invested an unlimited quantity of draft capital into this staff. They famously traded 5 first-round picks, two swaps and eventual MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to safe George, they usually doubled down final season by buying and selling extra picks to get James Harden, who can be a free agent. If George walks for nothing, the Clippers have very restricted technique of changing him, and with all of their picks belonging to different groups, pivoting right into a rebuild would not be straightforward.
However the second apron is terrifying to nearly each staff across the NBA now. The Clippers are seemingly afraid of paying George his desired contract, locking themselves right into a staff that hasn’t confirmed to be championship-caliber but, after which ultimately limiting their capacity to enhance and even freezing future first-round picks on the finish of the primary spherical. Now George and his staff are in a staring contest. He seemingly needs them to pay up. They need him to take a reduction. Now that he is opted out, he is free to stroll when free company begins, and if he does, the Clippers could not get something in return.