212 million in 4 years! Harden is in a dilemma with the Clippers, and if George leaves, it will be difficult for the Denka duo to compete for the championship

Ball brother Kan Ball

2024-06-19 15:55Published in Guangdong

As soon as the finals ended, the Clippers made the first move and poached the Celtics' senior basketball consultant Van Gundy Jr. In the new season, Van Gundy Jr. will serve as the Clippers' chief assistant coach, assisting former disciple Tyronn Lue.

The Clippers' first signing was a nice addition to the dugout, but this offseason, they still face a huge challenge in their player operations.

The first is George, who is the core of the team, and his contract extension with the Clippers has not been negotiated. This offseason, George is eligible to sign a four-year, $221 million max contract extension with the Clippers. However, in the previous contract extension negotiations between the two sides, the Clippers were unwilling to offer the 34-year-old veteran a four-year long-term contract with a maximum salary.

According to Philadelphia reporter Keith Pompey, the Clippers' offer to George is capped at the previous contract extension of the small card, which is 152.4 million over three years.

But obviously, George is not willing to accept such an offer, which is why the two sides have not been able to agree on an early contract extension since the start of last season. At present, there is no shortage of teams in the league that are interested in George, including the 76ers, who are aiming to form a Big Three to win the championship, and the young team Magic, who performed well this past season.

According to Orange County Chronicle's Mirjam Swanson, the 76ers are one of the teams in contention for George, and they can and are willing to offer George a four-year, $212 million max contract. The Magic can also offer George a max contract, and George will have to pay much less state taxes to join one of these two teams than he would in California.

The news means that George has no shortage of teams willing to offer him a max contract, while at the same time, making more money by paying less state taxes.

So, this will be a huge problem for the Clippers, after all, once George is released due to contract issues, their championship competitiveness will be greatly reduced in the new season. Especially after George's departure, it is difficult to find a star player on the free market who can replace George.

And once George leaves, the Clippers will face a second problem, which is Harden's stay!

Harden has now become a complete free agent, although he and the team have previously expressed their willingness to continue to cooperate, but once George leaves, the Clippers will only be left with the giant Xiaoka, who was injured in the playoffs, and for Harden, who is aiming to win the championship, he also has to consider, if he stays on the team, with only him and Xiaoka, will there be enough energy to lead the Clippers to become the favorite for the championship?

If it's Harden and Nick at their peak, there's no doubt that they absolutely can. But the problem is that Harden knows that his form has declined, and the small card has fallen in the playoffs for several years in a row. If Harden renews his contract with the Clippers, it will not only be difficult for him to realize his championship dream with the Clippers, but he will also waste the few career and championship windows he has left.

Therefore, Harden will face a dilemma again, and these will depend on George's stay, if George finally negotiates a contract extension with the Clippers to stay with the team, Harden will undoubtedly stay with the team. Once George chooses a four-year, $212 million contract with another team, then it's time for Harden to think about where to go.

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