Paul George (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Some stunning new details have emerged regarding Paul George’s decision to leave the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency.
In the early hours of Monday morning, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Paul George has signed a massive four-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers worth $212 million after a five-year stint with the Clippers.
And so brings a rather disappointing end to the PG13 era in Los Angeles. Five years ago, the Clippers acquired George from the Oklahoma City Thunder and signed Kawhi Leonard in free agency, hoping to deliver this franchise its first championship.
But injuries to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard prevented the Clippers from reaching their ultimate goal. They only advanced past the second round once, losing to the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 Western Conference Finals after Leonard suffered a season-ending ACL.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Clippers didn’t tell George ahead of time that they were extending Leonard for $153 million over three years. That was essentially a sign from LA that they were planning to move forward without George, who ultimately decided to leave:
“When they signed Kawhi to that deal…they never told Paul George about it. Paul George found out about it when the rest of the world found out about it.
Forget what the Clippers say, judge them on their actions — their actions over the season and their actions here in free agency indicate they are ready to move on from Paul George…and so now he’s ready to move on from them.”
"When they signed Kawhi [Leonard] to that deal, they never told Paul George about it." 😳 @WindhorstESPN on Paul George's negotiations with the Clippers 👀
pic.twitter.com/x9ASFP7iQ1— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 30, 2024
The Paul George trade will go down as the worst in NBA history
To make matters even worse…The Clippers got nothing for him
These are some other trades since 2010 that keep fans up at night ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Fyglk74Cg4
— Frank Michael Smith (@frankmikesmith) July 1, 2024
Though Paul George is entering his age-34 season, the future Hall of Famer showed zero signs of slowing down in 2023-24. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while drilling 41.3 percent of his three-pointers.
The Clippers quickly secured James Harden a two-year extension worth $70 million, keeping one of Leonard’s All-Star teammates in town. Still, they’re unquestionably worse now than they were a few days ago, with George now Philadelphia-bound.
Paul George Could Be The Final Piece For 76ers
Like the Clippers, the 76ers are a regular season juggernaut that has struggled mightily in the postseason. Unlike the Clippers, the 76ers have yet to once get past the second round with Joel Embiid.
But a “big three” of Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey just may be enough to get the 76ers over the hump once and for all. At the very least, Philly has closed the gap with top heavyweights in the East like Boston and Milwaukee.
