The sweepstakes for Paul George are ongoing and the storylines are a mix of empty rumors, less empty rumors, negotiation tactics, and posturing – with an occasional drizzle of real information dropped in.
The potential parting of the Clippers and George likely stems from a disagreement over his contract extension. According to reports, the Clippers have been unwilling to offer George the maximum contract available to him under the cap rules of $221 million. Instead, they are pushing for a three-year deal (with a potential discount involved).
The good part for George (and the tricky one for the Clippers) is that he has leverage in this negotiation. Even at age 34, George is playing on an All-Star level and generally makes the team whenever he’s healthy enough to play at least 54 games. George is still a solid defender – even if he’s five years removed from his last All-Defense nod – and his overall game as a shooter and secondary ball-handler is likely to age well.
This makes Paul an attractive target for multiple teams even if paying him around $60 million when he’s 38 isn’t a great resource allocation. If George decides to opt out of his player option for next season, he can in theory sign anywhere there’s cap space. While this is a limited group of teams, it also means George can use this bit of leverage to force his way to a team of his choosing – “trade me to where I want or I just walk for nothing.”
Ultimately, the Clippers may have no choice but to pay up here even if they aren’t excited about it. The alternative will be going after free agents (e.g. DeMar DeRozan) and that’s a clear step down in production for them. Barring a miracle, the Clippers don’t have any replacement that would be as good as George for the upcoming season when they are still hoping to compete for a championship.
The teams that are the best fit for George generally fit into two categories. One, older teams with a championship (or overall competitiveness) window with older stars where the team doesn’t care about potential overpays three or four years down the line, or two, young teams who can eat the salary up for the next couple of years before their teams become naturally more expensive as their top young players are extended beyond their rookie contracts.