Shams: Paul George won’t accept less than a max offer, Clippers offering less.

[OkcSinceSGA]

Read on Twitter

This is great for the Clippers if true. Yes, it means the SGA trade and era was a bust (could see that years ago). But it also will force them into a rebuild sooner than later most likely which is much needed. PG isn’t worthy of more than 25 per year, let alone 50.

Edit: one other potential positive 4D chess move is currently Kawhi will likely refuse to accept a trade without drama. If they let PG+Harden walk and Uncle Dennis gets pissed and they demand a trade… win win for everybody. Maybe the Warriors will give up a pick and Clippers will take Wiggins or someone? Kawhi stays in CA

[EmpireFalls]

That doesn’t mean he’s leaving. It means that he’s going to use other teams to secure a max deal from the Clippers.

[OkcSinceSGA]

That doesn’t mean he’s leaving. It means that he’s going to use other teams to secure a max deal from the Clippers.

Not happening. If so the Clippers are toast. Clearly they’ve been negotiating a year. If the Clippers cave now they are stupid. It will mean in a year they would lose Mann and Zubac. Mann and Zubac should be traded for whatever picks you can get and let PG+Harden walk for nothing. Take the L, get into reload sooner.

[mademan]

That doesn’t mean he’s leaving. It means that he’s going to use other teams to secure a max deal from the Clippers.

Not happening. If so the Clippers are toast. Clearly they’ve been negotiating a year. If the Clippers cave now they are stupid. It will mean in a year they would lose Mann and Zubac. Mann and Zubac should be traded for whatever picks you can get and let PG+Harden walk for nothing. Take the L, get into reload sooner.

In what world is Paul George walking better for LA then paying him and trading him in 6 months? He should just do what he did with OKC. Take a 4 year contract with LAC with max raises with the understanding that he'll be gone by the TDL. He gets his money, they get some value

[Swish1906]

Loving it for Ballmer..

[Blaze4G]

Read on Twitter

This is great for the Clippers if true. Yes, it means the SGA trade and era was a bust (could see that years ago). But it also will force them into a rebuild sooner than later most likely which is much needed. PG isn’t worthy of more than 25 per year, let alone 50.

25 per year is ridiculously low. PG is worth around 40 million per year.

[OkcSinceSGA]

That doesn’t mean he’s leaving. It means that he’s going to use other teams to secure a max deal from the Clippers.

Not happening. If so the Clippers are toast. Clearly they’ve been negotiating a year. If the Clippers cave now they are stupid. It will mean in a year they would lose Mann and Zubac. Mann and Zubac should be traded for whatever picks you can get and let PG+Harden walk for nothing. Take the L, get into reload sooner.

In what world is Paul George walking better for LA then paying him and trading him in 6 months? He should just do what he did with OKC. Take a 4 year contract with LAC with max raises with the understanding that he'll be gone by the TDL. He gets his money, they get some value

He will be 35 next summer. Unless it’s like a 2-3 year deal no team is taking him. Also I thought Clippers can’t trade him for a year due to being over second apron.

[HadAnEffectHere]

That doesn’t mean he’s leaving. It means that he’s going to use other teams to secure a max deal from the Clippers.

Not happening. If so the Clippers are toast. Clearly they’ve been negotiating a year. If the Clippers cave now they are stupid. It will mean in a year they would lose Mann and Zubac. Mann and Zubac should be traded for whatever picks you can get and let PG+Harden walk for nothing. Take the L, get into reload sooner.

In what world is Paul George walking better for LA then paying him and trading him in 6 months? He should just do what he did with OKC. Take a 4 year contract with LAC with max raises with the understanding that he'll be gone by the TDL. He gets his money, they get some value

If he takes a max from the Clippers, they're not going to get that much back for him at the deadline... He'll have like a half year left of quality play at most.

[OkcSinceSGA]

Read on Twitter

This is great for the Clippers if true. Yes, it means the SGA trade and era was a bust (could see that years ago). But it also will force them into a rebuild sooner than later most likely which is much needed. PG isn’t worthy of more than 25 per year, let alone 50.

25 per year is ridiculously low. PG is worth around 40 million per year.

Hell no.

[mademan]

Not happening. If so the Clippers are toast. Clearly they’ve been negotiating a year. If the Clippers cave now they are stupid. It will mean in a year they would lose Mann and Zubac. Mann and Zubac should be traded for whatever picks you can get and let PG+Harden walk for nothing. Take the L, get into reload sooner.

In what world is Paul George walking better for LA then paying him and trading him in 6 months? He should just do what he did with OKC. Take a 4 year contract with LAC with max raises with the understanding that he'll be gone by the TDL. He gets his money, they get some value

If he takes a max from the Clippers, they're not going to get that much back for him at the deadline... He'll have like a half year left of quality play at most.

We saw a team trade a chit ton for a 36 year old KD just a season ago. We saw a team trade an expiring + multiple unprotected swaps for the worst contract in the league in Beal. Stars are respected in this league. PG may not get a ton, but he'll return positive value, which is all that matters. Letting him walk makes no sense, especially with how far down the rabbit hole Balmer has already gone. Picking now to penny pinch would be dumb

[Raps in 4]

This is great for the Clippers if true. Yes, it means the SGA trade and era was a bust (could see that years ago). But it also will force them into a rebuild sooner than later most likely which is much needed. PG isn’t worthy of more than 25 per year, let alone 50.

How can the Clippers rebuild with no picks until 2030? They've backed themselves into a corner.

[life_saver]

problem for Clippers is that this is a weak FA class..there might be couple of teams who might be willing to offer a max

[Clemenza]

Read on Twitter

This is great for the Clippers if true. Yes, it means the SGA trade and era was a bust (could see that years ago). But it also will force them into a rebuild sooner than later most likely which is much needed. PG isn’t worthy of more than 25 per year, let alone 50.

PG walking doesn't free up cap space to sign another player or players. And we can't bottom out and become a lottery team because, Bingo! Your OKC Thunder strikes gold with the pick swap in '25 and possibly in' 27 as well. It's so fitting how you want to see him walk. Clipps have to resign PG even if it means trading him at the trade deadline ala Blake Griffin.

[OkcSinceSGA]

How can the Clippers rebuild with no picks until 2030? They've backed themselves into a corner.

People have a poor concept of trade value. Guys like PJ Washington and Gafford commanded 1st round picks last year. Rebuilding this team isn’t really that hard. Zubac and Mann would almost certainly bring in a mid-late 1st round pick. They are 26 year old good impact starters on cheap deals and bird rights. Powell could probably get you a couple 2nd’s. Trade Kawhi to the Warriors so he can stay in CA and get a pick or two.

Now you have 2-3 1sts, a swap in 2029 and a couple 2nds. Then they also create 150+ mill cap space and have a real shot to try to poach Mitchell or Brunson in free agency (Tatum almost certainly won’t walk). Next year you run bunch of young, unproven, hungry guys. If Bones/Boston Jr blow up which is quite possible, now you trade them for picks.

It’s not hard, it just takes a good FO and good drafting.

[TheGeneral99]

I think 3 years 120m is probably the safest option for a guy like George.

Obviously he's still a high-impact player playing at an all-star level but he'll be 35 in a month and is injury prone. He may have another all-star caliber left, and he will still be really good the year after possibly, but by year 3 expect a huge drop off.

The hope is you can get two really good years out of George and in year 3 use him as a trade filler/expiring contract if he declines.

[CIN-C-STAR]

This is great for the Clippers if true. Yes, it means the SGA trade and era was a bust (could see that years ago). But it also will force them into a rebuild sooner than later most likely which is much needed. PG isn’t worthy of more than 25 per year, let alone 50.

How can the Clippers rebuild with no picks until 2030? They've backed themselves into a corner.

No picks and an old, decrepit Kawhi locked up on a fat deal.
That's a terrible situation for a rebuild. Wouldn't even be a rebuild, would just be them sucking for a long time.

[OkcSinceSGA]

problem for Clippers is that this is a weak FA class..there might be couple of teams who might be willing to offer a max

They don’t even have much cap this FA. It’s about next year with Brunson, Tatum, Mitchell who will all decline player options.

[Saints14]

I don’t think maxing PG is the smart move necessarily but they don’t have much incentive to let him go when they don’t control their pick for years and don’t have any young players with big contracts coming up. With moving to the new arena next year I bet Ballmer ponies up

[OkcSinceSGA]

This is great for the Clippers if true. Yes, it means the SGA trade and era was a bust (could see that years ago). But it also will force them into a rebuild sooner than later most likely which is much needed. PG isn’t worthy of more than 25 per year, let alone 50.

How can the Clippers rebuild with no picks until 2030? They've backed themselves into a corner.

No picks and an old, decrepit Kawhi locked up on a fat deal.
That's a terrible situation for a rebuild. Wouldn't even be a rebuild, would just be them sucking for a long time.

They were in almost the same exact situation in 2017 and 2018. Doc had depleted all of their picks and people laughed about them having no assets. Then they turned Blake and CP3 into picks and a few home run trades. In just 2 years they suddenly had a war chest of assets. It’s going to take smart GMing. Their situation is nowhere near as dire as people think IF they take this path and are smart.

[Harry Garris]

If the Clippers don’t have a financial advantage over other teams to re-sign PG that significantly increases the chances that he could leave