Paul George is going to set the tone for free agency this summer, widely expected to be the best available player hitting the market. Multiple teams have expressed interest in acquiring George, but not all cap space teams are attractive destinations for the former All-Star. Marc Stein has reported that George could accept the $48.8 million player option on his contract and then demand a trade.
“There is a growing feeling league-wide that the 34-year-old picking up his $48.8 million player option for next season to force the Clippers to trade him is an increasingly realistic scenario after months of fruitless contract extension negotiations between the parties. The Clippers appear unwilling to offer a richer deal to George than Kawhi Leonard received in January ($150 million-ish over three seasons)”
George has been in contract talks with the Clippers since last season, but the team and player haven’t been able to agree on terms. The Clippers want George to take a slight discount on his deal like Kawhi Leonard did, but it seems George is set on trying to extrapolate the maximum he can in a contract offer from the Clippers.
Financially, it makes more sense for him to opt in, and hope he can get a sizeable contract next summer. The only contending team with cap space to sign George is the Philadelphia 76ers, who have reportedly moved on from wanting PG on their squad.
Paul George Is Making The Right Decision
If George opts in, he’ll essentially be doing what Kyrie Irving did to make sure he could leave the Brooklyn Nets while also being paid. He opted into a player option days after demanding a move because nobody on the free agency market in 2022 was going to pay him what he’s worth. This led to Irving playing half the season for the Nets before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks, who used his Bird rights to give him a 4120 million contract last season.
James Harden has tried a similar strategy, opting into his contract with the 76ers last summer just to force them to trade him away to the Clippers. Now, the Clippers have Harden’s Bird rights and could go over the salary cap to re-sign him. If George opts in, it’s likely because he’s hoping he can use the same strategy to guarantee a payday.
It makes more sense for both the player and the franchise to work out a trade after George opts into the contract. It ensures that the Clippers don’t see one of their key stars walk out the door for nothing while providing George the financial opportunities he’d miss out on if he signed for another team.
Teams like the Golden State Warriors are already hovering around George to hopefully acquire him in a trade. Other teams like the Dallas Mavericks have also been linked, with these non-cap-space teams hoping the Clippers will be willing to trade with them.
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