In arguably the biggest move of the NBA offseason, nine-time All-Star Paul George left the Los Angeles Clippers to team up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on the Philadelphia 76ers. Just days after leaving the team, George spoke about not wanting to leave the Clippers (YouTube link). Additionally, he opened up about his first offer from the team being “kind of disrespectful.”
“Just to put it out there, I never wanted to leave L.A. L.A. is home. This is where I wanted to finish at, and I wanted to work as hard as possible to win one in L.A. That was the goal: to be here and be committed to L.A. As it played out, though, the first initial (offer) was, I thought, kind of disrespectful. In all of this, no hard feelings,” George said.
Now, a couple of months later, the idea of the Clippers lowballing George is surfacing once again. On a recent episode of his podcast, Podcast P With Paul George (YouTube link), the 76ers star’s father, Paul George Sr., talked about feeling backstabbed by the Clippers in contract negotiations this summer.
“It was hurting. It was like… I felt like they stabbed us in the back because I thought Paul did a whole lot for the team, as far the fanbase, the fans was there. He was there. I think he gave them 110% and what he was asking, it wasn’t a whole lot. But they saw something different.”
Paul George’s Father Opens Up About Clippers Departure
What George’s Signing Means for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Clippers
The 76ers were already a solid team before, but adding George makes them legitimate title contenders. Last season, they finished with a 47-35 record and earned the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, they were without Embiid for 43 games, more than half the season. In addition to adding George, the 76ers brought in many intriguing names. This includes veterans like Eric Gordon, Andre Drummond, and Caleb Martin, as well as rookie Jared McCain. The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks are likely the teams to beat in the conference. However, the 76ers are right there with them.
As for the Clippers, they will likely take a step back next season. The team should remain firmly in the playoff picture with Kawhi Leonard and James Harden still on the roster. However, losing George is a major loss for the team. Last season, they finished with a 51-31 record, their best in the Leonard-George era. However, they lost to the eventual Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. With George no longer on the team, they lose an elite two-way player who helped elevate them to another level.
The Last Word
Regardless of what happened during the contract negotiations for George this summer, he finds himself on a new team once again. Only time will tell if this was the right call as the 34-year-old aims to win a championship for the first time in his career.
