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NBA Rumors: Paul George Declines $48.8M Clippers Contract Option amid Warriors Buzz – Bleacher Report
Paul George is going to become a free agent after declining his $48.8 million option with the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2024-25 season.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the news with the latest information:
BREAKING: Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George is declining his $48.7M option and entering free agency, sources tell ESPN. He's planning to set meetings with cap space teams and the Clippers beginning Sunday night. An opt-in/trade scenario is now gone. <a href="https://t.co/kASDp58eDD">pic.twitter.com/kASDp58eDD</a>
George is expected to meet with the Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic when free agency opens, according to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic. Chris Haynes of Turner Sports reported the 76ers will “aggressively pursue” the star and are a “legitimate threat” to sign a contract.
This also ends the reported pursuit from the Golden State Warriors, who were hoping to land the wing in a possible trade after an opt in:
Warriors have been under the impression today that they are out on Paul George. The reported opt-out seals it.
The Warriors had aggressively pursued George in recent days, but were not willing to meet hefty asking prices from the Clippers in a potential opt-in scenario.<br><br>Now, George reaches unrestricted free agency and will be the best player on the open market this summer.
George is coming off his ninth-career All-Star season in which he averaged 22.6 points on 41.3 percent three-point shooting, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in 74 starts.
This moves doesn’t come as a surprise because George seems to have a lot of negotiating leverage over the Clippers right now.
Kawhi Leonard previously signed a three-year, $152.4 million extension through the 2026-27 season in January. His contract came in under the max, which seemed to be an indication he wanted to leave room for the front office to extend both George and James Harden.
$152.4M is less than the max Kawhi Leonard is eligible for, if the cap comes in at the projected $142M for next season.<br><br>He's eligible for $161,028,000 over three years with the cap landing at $142M.<br><br>I'm intrigued!
Despite George and the Clippers having talks throughout the season, they weren’t able to find agreement on a new deal. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on March 29 the two sides were “apart” on an extension.
It wasn’t clear how far apart they were at that point, but it was apparently enough that they couldn’t bridge whatever gap there was. Another potential issue is the cap implications for the Clippers if they doubled down on this group.
Governor Steve Ballmer hasn’t been afraid to invest big money on the roster, but they spent $342.5 million this season between payroll and luxury tax payments.
If the Clippers had another postseason disappointment or injury to a star player, would it really be worth it to keep hoping things would come together as George will play next season at 34 and Leonard will be 33?
Of course, the Clippers are also moving into their own arena next season and they need to sell tickets in a very competitive market.
George has made the Clippers’ decision even more difficult by opting out of his deal, though it seems unlikely this is a surprise for the front office. This could end up being the last major contract of his NBA career, whether it’s from the Clippers or another organization.