Paul George may force his way out of Los Angeles if the Clippers continue to take a hard stance in contract negotiations, and one Western Conference rival reportedly has interest in trading for the nine-time All-Star. The price is simply too steep at the moment.
George has until Saturday to decide whether to exercise his $48.7 million player option for next season. He is seeking a long-term deal from the Clippers, but there has been talk of him picking up the option and then demanding a trade, similar to how James Harden ended up in L.A. last year.
According to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Denver Nuggets had “serious interest” in acquiring George recently. The idea would be for George to exercise his option and then sign an extension after being traded.
The Athletic reports that Denver backed away from talks with the Clippers when L.A. asked for Michael Porter Jr., Zeke Nnaji and “a significant amount of draft capital.” The Nuggets place a high value on their draft picks, so they were unwilling to discuss giving them up.
George is 34 and has a lengthy injury history. Most teams probably are unwilling to give up players and draft capital in addition to signing him to a long-term max extension, which is what he has been seeking from the Clippers. Unless L.A.’s asking price comes down, teams likely will not be all that anxious to engage with them.
George has been linked to one other surprising Western Conference team, so he should have plenty of suitors if he ends up becoming a free agent.
