Golden State Warriors Attempted Multiple Trades for Paul George Before Free Agency

According to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, the Golden State Warriors made multiple trade offers to the Los Angeles Clippers in an effort to acquire Paul George. However, George ultimately opted out of his contract and entered unrestricted free agency.

It was said that a combination of Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and an undisclosed first-round selection were part of the trade talks. They thought they had offered the Clippers multiple good options, even though the Warriors were upfront about not trading all of their assets at once.

Even though the Warriors were prepared to give George a new max contract extension, he would have to opt out of his current deal’s final year in order to make a trade. But instead of that, George decided to look into free will.

As free agency starts, George is reportedly scheduled to meet with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Orlando Magic, and the Clippers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. There is enough salary cap space for George to be signed directly by either the Magic or the 76ers.

George has been in fruitless contract extension negotiations with the Clippers. The Clippers have offered George a deal that is comparable to the three-year, $149.7 million extension that Kawhi Leonard signed in January, in response to George’s demand for a four-year maximum contract. In the event that the Clippers do not agree to George’s demands, they run the danger of losing him for nothing.

Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations for the Clippers, stressed the new CBA’s financial difficulties.

“This is a business, and the reality of the new CBA impacts teams like us,” he added. “When your better players are in their 30s and you’re trying to build a sustainable roster, it impacts it.”

At this point in time, the Clippers have approximately $54.1 million owing under the first tax apron and $65 million under the second. Their financial flexibility would be further limited by the return of James Harden, and re-signing George would bring them closer to the first apron.

Klay Thompson’s potential departure from the Warriors in free agency is exacerbated by their own salary cap problems. Owner Joe Lacob wants to lower the team’s tax burden, even though they’ve been the most expensive team in the NBA recently.

The Warriors are in a precarious position because they failed to acquire George. They could get out of the luxury tax by not paying Chris Paul $30 million, but that would put the team’s competitiveness in jeopardy.

Even though the NBA free agency period has begun, Paul George’s future with the Clippers and the Warriors is still up in the air.

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