Paul George will opt out of the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers and become an unrestricted free agent, CBS Sports’ Bill Leiter confirmed. He is scheduled to meet with the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic and Clippers on Sunday night, according to The Athletic. George has been with the Clippers since they acquired him and Kawhi Leonard in a big way in the summer of 2019. The two haven’t appeared in the NBA Finals together in five seasons, mostly due to injuries suffered by both during or before the postseason. George will now consider other options for his future.
Negotiations between George and the Clippers have been tense since before the season began. In January, the Clippers signed Leonard to a three-year, $153 million extension, which was less than his maximum contract amount. Since then, reports have said the Clippers are looking to sign George to a similar deal. Meanwhile, George wants a four-year, maximum contract. During the season, he said he wanted to sign a new contract with his hometown team, the Clippers, but he’s willing to take the risk of not signing until the summer and wants a maximum contract in return.
If the Clippers don’t hesitate to offer him a max contract, several teams are expected to do so. The 76ers are the latest to do so, sparking speculation earlier this month when George appeared on ESPN’s NBA Countdown alongside 76ers star Joel Embiid. The Magic have also been in the mix for a move destination, and while no reports have linked the two, it’s worth noting that one of George’s former teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder, has plenty of cap space and could reach the max in a trade if necessary.
The Clippers have pumped a ton of draft capital into this team, famously trading five first-round picks, two swaps, and eventual MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to acquire George, then doubled down last season by trading up more picks to acquire free agent James Harden. If George were to leave without pay, the Clippers would have very limited options for finding a replacement, and with all their picks going to other teams, pivoting to a rebuild would not be easy.
But the second apron is a threat to almost every team in the NBA right now. The Clippers seem afraid to pay George his desired contract, tying him to a team that is not yet at a championship level, ultimately limiting the team’s improvement, and even freezing out a future first-round pick at the end of the first round. Now George and the team are at a standoff. George seems to be trying to get the team to pay him a high signing bonus. The team wants George to give them a discount. Since George opted out, he is free to leave the team when free agency begins, but if he does, the Clippers may not get anything in return.
