Rather than lose him for nothing in free agency, Los Angeles Clippers probably could’ve traded Paul George to the Golden State Warriors in a sign-and-trade for Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins.
They didn’t want to do that, perhaps due to the hefty $30 million salary that would’ve been owed to Paul. Wiggins’ contract is also a head-scratcher at this point of his career. While it’s nowhere near a max, when his lack of availability and on-court decline end up under the microscope, teams may not feel he’s living up to his salary.
With Warriors legend Klay Thompson deciding to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, the only other star being linked to the Clippers is DeMar DeRozan. The California native no longer appears to be in the Chicago Bulls plans as they pivot towards a rebuild. However, unless he’s willing to sign a team-friendly deal, L.A. has to acquire him is through a sign-and-trade.
Ultimately, while it’s possible that the Clippers bring in DeRozan to replace George, it’s far from certain. As a result, Los Angeles should look at their options if they have to replace him with the players they already under contract.
Can Clippers Replace Paul George Internally?
James Harden
In 2023-24, James Harden averaged 16.6 points and 8.5 assists per game while playing the third wheel behind George and Kawhi Leonard. Many understand this to have been a sacrifice that Harden chose to make in order to ease chemistry concerns. After all, he had already usurped Russell Westbrook as the starting point guard. In doing so, he was then tasked with sharing the ball with two dominant feature scorers.
With a career scoring average of 24.1 points per game, it may be time for Harden to get in his bag. Replacing the 22.6 points per game that they lose in George won’t be easy. However, if Harden can produce more like his normal self, they’ll have a much easier chance to. As he’ll enter the 2023-24 season as the starting point guard, he’s in a great position to call his own number.
Norman Powell
If the Clippers were to move Harden up the pecking order, they have to replace a tertiary scorer in the starting lineup, rather than a primary one. In that event, they may consider promoting Norman Powell to the starting lineup. Like Harden, Powell has also sacrificed since joining the Clippers. Indeed, he was once considered to be one of the next breakout two-way stars.
Unfortunately for Powell, while L.A. still relied on his on-ball defense, they asked for less of his scoring. In 2021-22, the California native averaged a career-high 19.0 points per game. This wasn’t an anomalous season for Powell, as he averaged 18.6 points per game the previous season. Indeed, Powell even averaged 21.4 points per game after being traded to the Clippers in 2021-22. Last season, he averaged 17.0 points per game. Even better, he shot above 39 percent from 3 in each of those seasons.
Kevin Porter Jr.
The Clippers knew that Kevin Porter Jr. would come with a lot of questions. There’s no way to ignore that the young man pled guilty to assaulting his former girlfriend. However, as L.A. clearly feels comfortable enough with his checkered past to sign him, there’s no point in pretending he won’t be on the floor.
The last time Porter was in the NBA was 2022-23. That season, the swingman averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game with the Houston Rockets. Dynamic, skilled, and athletic, his talent level justifies him being in a sixth man role or the starting lineup. Furthermore, as Porter was only out of the league for a season and it wasn’t for an injury-related reason, there’s little doubt that he can return to form.
