Clippers star Paul George has decided to jump out of the final year's $48.79 million player option and become a free agent. Previously, George had turned down a three-year $149 million contract from the Clippers, is he really leaving the Clippers?
After signing Leonard to a three-year, $152 million contract extension in the middle of last season, Paul George was close to an early contract extension with the Clippers, who have always believed that they can rely on the core of the team, George and Harden to hit the championship, but unlike the salary cut of the small card and Harden's obsession with the championship, George wants a bigger contract, and he wants a four-year contract worth $221 million.
The Clippers are clearly not willing to provide for it. First of all, in the early contract extension with Xiaoka, the Clippers gave three years of $152 million, and George's average annual salary will certainly not be higher than that of Xiaoka. Second, the new three-year contract of the small card means that the Clippers have locked the championship window to three years, and George's contract will not exceed three years, and Harden will not do the same.
However, George disagreed. At just 33 years old, Leonard is the youngest of the Clippers' Big Three, and will only be 36 years old in three years, still with a chance to get a big contract of at least two years. But George is now 34 years old, limited by the 38-year-old clause, if George signs a three-year contract, it will be difficult to get a big contract again after the 37-year-old contract expires, and George is unwilling to accept such a huge loss.
This past season, George averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game in the regular season, helping the Clippers rank fourth in the West, and his overall performance was very good. But in the playoffs, in the context of the injury of the small card, George faced a sharp increase in defensive pressure, and as a result, he could only average 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game, which was not as good as Harden. In this case, the Clippers are obviously more reluctant to offer him a four-year salary cap.
George, who rejected a three-year, $149 million contract extension and jumped out of the final year's $48.79 million player option, may really want to leave the Clippers. But is there really a team in the NBA league willing to offer George a four-year salary cap? I have reservations about this.