Paul George’s dad makes big claim about his son’s free agency

Mar 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; LA Clippers forward Paul George before action against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Paul George’s father had some harsh words for the Los Angeles Clippers about how the team handled his son’s free agency.

Paul George Sr. appeared as a special guest on his son’s “Podcast P” show and said he felt the Clippers “stabbed us in the back” with their contract offers. George Sr. even said he had wanted to steer his son to the Los Angeles Lakers as revenge, but that things would not have worked financially.

Paul George's dad on PG leaving the Clippers:

“I felt like they stabbed us in the back because I thought Paul did a whole lot for the team. I think he gave them 110% and what he was asking, it wasn't a whole lot. But they saw something different… I was looking at going… pic.twitter.com/7c691xChzS

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) September 2, 2024

“I felt like they stabbed us in the back because I thought Paul did a whole lot for the team,” George Sr. said. “I think he gave them 110 percent, and what he was asking, it wasn’t a whole lot. But they saw something different. But I didn’t want him just to take anything. He does stand up for what he believes in, and so he felt that was a bunch of bull they came at him with, and I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it, either.

“You love being at home, but sometimes home could slow you down. … He put in the work for it, and I felt he should have got paid for it. We didn’t stutter about it. What? They come at you like this? We got to go. I was looking at, okay, we’re going to go next door [to the Lakers], but they already spent too much money.”

George wound up going to the Philadelphia 76ers on a max deal. He had previously claimed the Clippers’ initial offer to him was for $60 million over two years, a proposal he found “disrespectful.” His father seems to agree with that assessment.

Was George to the Lakers ever plausible? Not very. Rumors suggested, however, that there was another team in the area that had some interest in a sign-and-trade before that became unfeasible as well.