Even before they had officially let former five-time All-Star and four-time champion shooting guard Klay Thompson walk during free agency in a $50 million, three-season sign-and-trade with the Dallas Mavericks, the Golden State Warriors appeared primed to make their next splashy signing.
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the Warriors made a bid to trade for nine-time All-Star forward Paul George, prior to his Saturday deadline for his $48 million player option for 2024-25 with the L.A. Clippers. George had been amenable to suiting up to join All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry and former All-Defensive power forward Draymond Green in Golden State.
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Per Shelburne, Golden State tried to pitch several player contracts, promising young pieces, and even the team’s unprotected first-round selection in 2027. Because the Clippers requested ascendant forward Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State balked. L.A., meanwhile, was uninterested in receiving big contracts back if they would put the club over the second luxury tax apron.
Ultimately, the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement. George declined his option with the Clippers and agreed to sign a four-year, $212 million contract to form a formidable new “Big Three” with the Philadelphia 76ers, where the oft-injured 34-year-old will presumably be the third option behind All-Star center Joel Embiid and All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey.
During a new episode of his podcast “The Draymond Green Show,” Green offered up further clarity about the Warriors’ bungled efforts to acquire George.
“[I’m] a little salty about that because, as you all know, Paul George was gonna come to the Warriors. We wanted Paul George to come to the Warriors,” Green explained. “For us to take Paul George, it would have taken a sign-and-trade, and the Clippers didn’t really want to play ball. Didn’t really want to help him get to where he wanted to go, and so in turn they get nothing back.”
Last year, the Warriors finished as the Western Conference’s No. 10 seed with a 46-36 record. Golden State was ousted in its first Play-In Tournament game by the No. 9-seeded Sacramento Kings — who themselves were promptly eliminated prior to the playoffs by the eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans.
In 2023-24, George enjoyed his healthiest season since forcing his way to the Clippers in 2019 to play alongside fellow oft-hurt forward Kawhi Leonard. Across 74 contests, the 6-foot-8 vet averaged 22.6 points on a .471/.413/.907 slash line, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. His regular season output is never the problem, however. Unlike most of the Warriors’ main stars, George has become wildly inconsistent in the postseason. This year, his scoring took a dip in a six-game first round playoff series loss to the Dallas Mavericks. With the pressure off and George serving as a third option, he may thrive in Philadelphia.
The Warriors, meanwhile, have added shooting guard De’Anthony Melton and combo forward Kyle Anderson in free agency, and are reportedly considering trades for Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen or sharpshooting swingman Buddy Hield (in the case of Hield, it’d be a sign-and-trade).
Read more: Warriors in ‘Serious Talks’ to Acquire Perfect Klay Thompson Replacement
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.