Why the Clippers say PG13 acceptance/trade with teams like Dubs wouldn’t work originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors’ search for a Paul George trade fell until Saturday when the star opted to terminate his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers to enter NBA free agency.
And although Golden State reportedly came close to acquiring George, the Clippers released a statement on Sunday explaining why a sign-and-trade scenario for the nine-time NBA All-Star was not viable after he informed the team he would not return. . sign with them this offseason.
“We negotiated for months with Paul and his representative on a contract that would make sense for both sides, and we fell apart,” the Clippers said. “The gap was significant. We understand and respect Paul’s decision to look elsewhere for his next contract. We explored a buy-and-trade scenario, but this would have left us in a similar position under the new CBA, with very little asset value to justify the restrictions.”
The LA Clippers released a statement regarding Paul George and his departure from Los Angeles:
“Paul has informed us that he is signing his next contract with another team. Paul is a tremendous talent and an elite player. We feel fortunate for the five years we spent with… pic.twitter.com/mcoK2Wlup1
-Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) July 1, 2024
The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement places even more restrictions on tax-paying teams like the Clippers, who, according to their statement, have taken an incredibly careful approach to building their roster. Although George is eligible for a four-year, $221 million maximum contract, Los Angeles has agreed to bring in a more cost-effective addition in point guard James Harden in the two years, US$70 millionESPN reported on Sunday, citing sources.
The warriors were willing to give George the maximum contract he wants, The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami reported in a column published Saturdaybut only if they could offload some of their own salary on an option and trade deal with the Clippers.
According to Kawakami, Golden State believed it had proposed “several variations of a trade that the Clippers could and would accept,” with veterans Steph Curry and Draymond Green even signing on to the deal. But according to Los Angeles, the deals they discussed would still have left them in an unpleasant tax situation under the new CBA.
George is now an unrestricted free agent and will reportedly hold meetings with several interested teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic, in the coming days. But unfortunately for the Warriors and Clippers, they are no longer in the conversation.
