Despite playing three teams over his, storied 14-year NBA career, Paul George never has truly tested the waters of free agency. That seems bound to change unless the Los Angeles Clippers are ready to pay up.
The 34-year-old has yet to make a decision regarding his player option for $48.8 million next season, but as it usually goes with superstars in the final year of their deals, George is likely to decline it in favour of a long-term deal.
Though not eligible for a supermax contract, George can sign a four-year, $221.1-million deal and many teams should be ready to hand him such a contract. However, it’s possible that while a return to the Clippers seems the most likely scenario, they may not be willing to give the wing a full four-year deal.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, though the Clippers believe George wants to stay in his hometown of L.A., they’re unwilling to give him more than the three-year, $149.7-million contract they gave to co-star Kawhi Leonard back in January.
The Philadelphia 76ers present an interesting landing spot. Connections between player and franchise have been the talking point since Joel Embiid and George appeared on a pre-game show together ahead of Game 4 of the NBA Finals. But the rumours have swelled to more than just side-eyes and body-language analysis from the two stars.
Despite the clear interest, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported last Thursday that interest had “significantly waned in recent days,” and the 76ers are expected to pursue other options with their upcoming cap flexibility.
However, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey wasn’t so sure the 76ers were completely out of the sweepstakes and reported that a deal for George would make too much sense for Philadelphia. He goes on to mention that while the Clippers seem unwilling to offer him a four-year deal, the 76ers are able to give him a four-year, $212-million contract.
Pompey also suggests possible routes for the 76ers to acquire George past just signing him outright, with a sign-and-trade as an option. According to the report, upcoming unrestricted free agent Tobias Harris has been a player that the Clippers have “some level of interest” in.
The other team to keep an eye on in the race is apparently the New York Knicks as they look for a second star to pair with Jalen Brunson next season, Marc Stein reported on Sunday.
However, the Knicks don’t have the cap space available to make a run at him in free agency or acquire him via sign-and-trade. Instead, George would have to opt into his player option by the June 29 deadline and request a trade to New York.
Others in the wing market
Only so many teams can actually acquire the services of George, with the price tag set just a bit too high for plenty of contenders on the market. But no front office is without a plan B.
The wing market has expanded in recent days as players have started to get thrown around in the trade machine. Notably, Jimmy Butler and Brandon Ingram have become two of the more intriguing names that could be on the move this summer.
Starting with Butler, following the Miami Heat‘s first-round loss, team president Pat Riley admonished the star, saying “If you’re not on the court playing against Boston, if you’re not on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut in your criticism of those teams.”
Now, it’s become increasingly unlikely that Butler stays with the Heat despite having one year left before a player option in the 2025-26 season. According to The Ringer’s Howard Beck, a Butler trade seems more like a when than an if.
“Jimmy Butler will be traded. Rival executives have been buzzing about it for months,” Beck said. “Butler is about to turn 35, with one year left on his Heat contract and is reportedly seeking a two-year, $113-million extension. If the Heat (front office) grants it, they’ll have little to no flexibility to add another star. And they absolutely need one.”
However, Charania reported on the “Pat McAfee Show” that the “sense is that (Butler) loves it in Miami.”
Next up is New Orleans Pelicans wing Ingram, who is expected to be traded this off-season, according to TNT’s Chris Haynes,
Ingram, who took a step back this season averaging 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists on 49.2-per-cent shooting from the field and 35.5 per cent from deep, hasn’t been able to find a proper fit alongside Zion Williamson in New Orleans.
Though Haynes didn’t expand on which teams have inquired about Ingram, the Athletic’s Kelly Iko reported that the Pelicans have dangled him to teams like the Houston Rockets and 76ers.
Another factor pushing to the eventual trade from New Orleans has been the wing’s desire for a four-year max contract worth $52 million per year in average annual value, with Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times reporting that the team is unwilling to pay him that amount.
Possible draft night shakeups
This year’s NBA Draft has been anything but a sure thing. The lack of a consensus No. 1 guy, or even a consensus top five, has opened up the door to a ton of possible scenarios involving movement in and around the top of the draft Wednesday and Thursday.
As it stands, there’s a firm belief around the league that French big man Alex Sarr will be going No. 2 to the Washington Wizards after he declined workouts with the Atlanta Hawks. However, there remains a strong possibility of a team trading into the Hawks’ top spot to select him.
According to Stein, there are rumblings about San Antonio jumping up from No. 4 to No. 1 to pair phenom Victor Wembanyama with Sarr for their frontcourt of the future.
The Spurs also have the No. 8 pick in the draft after the Toronto Raptors dropped out of the top six and were forced to send over their first as a result of the Jakob Poeltl trade. So any move up into the top spot could include both of San Antonio’s selections this year.
Elsewhere, rumours around Bronny James and how his draft destination could affect his father LeBron James’ free agency continue to swirl. Agent Rich Paul confirmed last week that he was limiting the number of workouts Bronny would take part in, with the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns being the forefront destinations for the guard.
LeBron has said that he’s distanced himself from the idea of playing with his son and Paul reiterated that, telling ESPN “LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny. If he does, he does. But if he doesn’t, he doesn’t. There’s no deal made that it’s guaranteed that if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, LeBron will re-sign.”
The Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks and Raptors have been other rumoured destinations for the USC product, according to Paul.
Fast Breaks
— According to Stein, Chris Paul could be making a return to L.A. to either pair up with long-time friend James or a potential reunion with the Clippers.
— Knicks centre Mitchell Robinson has had his name pop up in trade talks as the team is hoping to move off the $27 million remaining on his contract, according to SNY’s Ian Begley. They’re also keen on re-signing centre Isaiah Hartenstein to take over the starting role next season.
— Yahoo’s Jake Fischer reported that the big man market could have some intriguing names added to it as the Utah Jazz are “willing to engage in trade talks” around second-year big Walker Kessler and the Detroit Pistons are “evaluating the market” for Isaiah Stewart.
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