Yahoo Sports reporter Jake Fischer couldn't hold back, so he revealed in the article that the Jazz were also interested in Paul George, a 34-year-old wing, and were willing to send away one or two good players to entice him to sign.
Fischer said the Jazz have what it takes to build a star mix, including salary space, veteran salary leveling, and ample draft assets. And multiple sources revealed that the team tried to trade for Bridges last week, but lost to the Knicks in the East. Then, the Jazz management was still not satisfied, so they wanted to trade one or two really good players to bring George into the small forward.
In the 23-24 regular season, George averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and in the playoffs, George averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. If he stays with the Clippers, he will be eligible to sign a four-year, $221 million contract with a maximum salary, but the team's management will obviously not meet his request, otherwise the contract extension negotiations between the two will not be deadlocked. Once joining another team, George can get up to $212 million for four years, which is also a condition that the Jazz can offer.
As a rebuilding team, the Jazz have hoarded a lot of draft picks after trading Gobert and Mitchell, and the salary space is enough to sign another superstar. In the current lineup, there are star interior players like Markkanen, as well as Collins, a 26-year-old spatial No. 4 position, more potential center Kessler, and sixth man Clarkson. Once George chooses to join, this team will form a "George + Marca" combination, with a group of role players to complete the rebuild, and it is not a problem to hit the playoffs at all.
Markkanen played in 55 games in the regular season in the 23-24 season, averaging 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2 assists per game, shooting 48% from the field and 39.9% from three-point range. He only has $18.04 million left on his one-year contract for the 24-25 season, and is eligible to sign a five-year, $244 million contract with the team this summer, thus continuing to be the cornerstone of the team.
However, George may not join the Jazz because there are more and better options. Once he leaves the Clippers, it means sacrificing time with his family and going for money and championships. Obviously, the Jazz's current roster configuration does not have the strength to win the championship, and they can only give $212 million for 4 years in terms of money. Jake Fischer added that both the 76ers and the Magic are prepared to offer George a four-year max contract, which is about $212 million over four years.
As a normal adult, choosing the 76ers or the Magic will have more championship prospects, especially the Philadelphia team, which is more likely to win the championship with Maxey and Embiid.