On June 24, Beijing time, Brett Siegel broke the news on his personal social media that the Warriors may list George as a target to pursue, and the details are as follows:
"Paul George is in a very interesting position with the Clippers right now, and if the Clippers decide not to pay George the salary he wants, it probably won't be the Eastern Conference team pursuing George. If Klay Thompson is leaving, keep an eye on the Warriors' move toward George. ”
Judging from the content of the report, if the Warriors want to pursue George, they must meet two conditions: one is that the Clippers cannot meet the annual salary and treatment that George wants, and the other is that the Warriors have lost their scoring guard Klay; That would make sense to pursue George, as the Warriors don't have enough salary to meet both Klay and George's demands. The trade market and free agency market will be very busy in the offseason, and this is an opportunity for teams to bring in reinforcements and reinforcements to prepare for the new season.
When the news spread on social media, it quickly sparked a discussion among Warriors fans, with one fan saying, "George and Klay swapped, win-win!" ”
Is that really the case? From the perspective of salary, Klay, who is about to become a free agent, will not be able to get the same annual salary as George anyway, which cannot be matched in terms of amount; This means that if the Warriors really want to swap Klay and George, they must first sign Klay, and then match some chips in the lineup to complete the salary match, so as to get George, a top 3D. Perhaps, Klay and Looney as a bargaining chip will make the Clippers management think about it, because this team lacks a top defense at the No. 4 position and an interior center.
If Klay and Looney can join the Clippers, at some point, Klay can step up to the No. 4 position to defend the opposition's interior attack. You must know that the former Clay used to prevent Derefour from having no temper on the stage of the finals. At the same time, after the Clippers' center Zubac got into foul trouble, Looney could come on as his backup center to provide rebounding protection and interior basket protection, as well as play at the top of the arc, so that the Clippers' shooters could get more opportunities to shoot easily.
As for George? In the 23-24 regular season, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and in the playoffs, he averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
It can be said that George's play is very stable, he is an indispensable top 3D in the team, and he also has a good offensive ability with the ball. If you can really join the Warriors, then this team will be able to form a defensive lineup of Wiggins, George, Kuminga, Green, and Moody, and they all have good three-point shooting ability, and the Warriors can fully dream of returning to the defensive level of their peak.
The possibility of George leaving the Clippers is growing, and the famous journalist Stein posted about it, revealing that the Clippers don't want to give George a bigger contract than Leonard.
Another reporter, Brett Siegel, broke the news that the Warriors, Knicks, and Magic are all interested in getting George, a superstar who has become a favorite in the NBA market.
George has an annual salary of $45.64 million for the '23-24 season and $48.79 million for the new season, and he also has a player option to jump out of his contract and become a free agent this summer.