Clippers Never Wanted to Trade Paul George, but Deal Fell Through

Paul George has not exactly been a world beater over the past few seasons when it comes to championships or playoff runs, but it’s no secret the strong guard is a great basketball player. He’s one of the most consistent athletes in the NBA, and brings a spark everywhere he goes.

Despite criticism about his clutch factor and ability to finish in big games, it seems many teams are happy to have him. That was further confirmed recently by Clippers’ owner Steve Ballmer, who revealed the team never wanted to trade George during the offseason.

Currently, George made his season debut for a struggling Sixers team after sitting out the first few games with an injury. While Philadelphia has yet to find its footing (or Joel Embiid), George seems to be back in form averaging 16.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists over two games.

Clippers fans face mixed emotions as George thrives elsewhere

Those stats are likely to go up as he gels with his new squad. Though many Clippers fans are likely to be bitter watching him succeed somewhere else, Los Angeles revealed recently that management did what they could to keep him around.

Ballmer said in a recent interview that the team made George “a big offer” during the offseason in hopes of keeping him, Harden, and Leonard together in what has become an extremely tight and strong Western Conference.

Unfortunately, both sides could not reach a deal. That was due to the fact that George wanted either a no-trade clause added to his contract, or a fourth year put onto the three-year offer that was on the table. At that point, the Clippers knew they might need to move on.

“I don’t know when the blueprint changed,” Ballmer told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “The truth of the matter is our situation was changing just because the guys are getting older anyway. So the way to think about it with Paul or without Paul, it started to morph on us.”

Searching for Trade Options

Once the Clippers realized keeping George might not be on the table, they began to look around the league to see if they could get any offers for the star. There were quite a few avenues available, but like the deal itself, none of them came through.

One of the biggest potential moves was sending George to the Warriors to play with Stephen Curry and fill in for Klay Thompson. However, Los Angeles wanted both Jonathan Kuminga and a first round pick in return.

The pick was never truly on the table for Golden State, which they believed to be too much, but they did discuss moving Kuminga for a bit. They never pulled the trigger because the Warriors were hesitant to lose the guard and the Clippers didn’t see value in any of Golden State’s other young stars.

Once talks began to fizzle, Los Angeles ultimately decided that their own roster pieces were more valuable than trying to move Paul in a way that would hamstring them in terms of tax penalties and roster flexibility.

More Money to Go Around

Though a contract never materialized, the Clippers’ final offer to Paul was a $150 million dollar deal over three years. Not being able to get the signing definitely hurt in the short term, but the extra money did open up some opportunities for Los Angeles.

Having an extra $50 million a year allowed the Clippers to shore up their team with some strong role players and defensive pieces. It also provides them with some much needed flexibility in terms of signings over the next few years.

“The truth is, with Paul not coming back, we were able to upgrade our team,” explained Ballmer.

“We don’t (sign) Derrick Jones Jr. if Paul comes back. We don’t (sign) Kris Dunn, (or have) our new defensive identity. Might not have (signed) Kevin Porter Jr…You could say, they’re not Paul George. No, they’re not…(But) we were able to get three guys who are tough, hard-playing guys. And we still have the ability to consistently make ourselves better.”

Clippers maintain playoff position despite early challenges

The Clippers have not had the strongest start to the season, but at 4-4 they are firmly in the early playoff race. If losing George in order to shore up the team works out, only time will tell.

Regardless of what happens, there is certainly no bad blood between the all-star and the Los Angeles organization. George stated that he had a great relationship with upper management during his time in L.A. and he hopes the fans, who booed him during a recent game, understand it’s just business.

 “It wasn’t something that I demanded a trade or went against the team here. I was a free agent,” George said during an interview. “The team presented something that was team-friendly, and I did what was best for me in that situation. So there were the cheers. I appreciate them. Those were the ones that I played hard for. The boos, I didn’t get it.”

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