{"id":82120,"date":"2024-06-20T15:14:48","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T19:14:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=82120"},"modified":"2024-06-20T15:14:48","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T19:14:48","slug":"magic-have-paul-george-number-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/20\/magic-have-paul-george-number-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando Has Paul George&#8217;s Magic Number And More"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Los Angeles Clippers swingman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/georgpa01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paul George<\/a> still hasn\u2019t publicly said he\u2019ll be opting out his deal ahead of the 2024-25 season. However, his contract negotiations with the Clippers have fallen through, L.A. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/27\/the-clippers-unwilling-to-give-paul-george-contract-kawhi-leonard\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">unwilling to pay him more<\/a> than running mate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/leonaka01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kawhi Leonard<\/a>. As a result, the nine-time All-Star is widely expected to opt out of his contract and test free agency this offseason.<\/p>\n<p>If he chooses to enter the market, he\u2019ll arguably be the top prize. Even if Los Angeles Lakers superstar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a> declines his player option for 2024-25, there are likely fewer teams the grizzled veteran would be willing to go. However, one team that they both could consider is the Philadelphia 76ers.<\/p>\n<p>Or so it seemed.<\/p>\n<h2>Orlando Has Paul George&#8217;s Magic Number And More<\/h2>\n<p>In the latest episode of <em>Podcast P with Paul George<\/em>, George seemed to take a veiled shot at Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBelieve it or not, players talk,\u201d George says. \u201cAnd then reputations go around, like, \u2018Hey man, I don&#8217;t know about going to this place&#8230; Watch your back.\u2019 You know what I mean?&#8217; That&#8217;s the conversations you have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Paul George on His Future, Bronny James, Paolo\u2019s Promising Future, and More\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7VEbjNiZO1E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>With George just wrapping up a season with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hardeja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Harden<\/a>, these comments could go beyond the surface. Indeed, Harden only made it to the Clippers by forcing a trade out of Philadelphia. While his initial desire to leave wasn\u2019t because of Morey, the situation unraveled in such a way to make Morey look like he wasn\u2019t a man of his word.<\/p>\n<p>With Harden looking for a new deal last offseason, he expected to be given a short but rich contract extension or to be traded. According to Harden, there was an agreement with Morey. However, Morey neither made an effort to re-sign Harden or trade him. Only by kicking up a fuss, including going on a tirade in China, was he moved.<\/p>\n<p>The worst part about it? Morey was just as reluctant to trade Harden when they were with the Houston Rockets. So much so that Harden had to resort to somewhat juvenile measures to get the point across.<\/p>\n<p>All of that could just be the byproduct of an owner put in a bad situation. Rarely do teams want to trade a great player. A future Hall of Famer. Nonetheless, it does make it hard for Morey to nail a first impression if that\u2019s the reputation that precedes him.<\/p>\n<h3>Not Ring Chasing?<\/h3>\n<p>There is a team with interest in George and unproblematic lead executive.<\/p>\n<p>The Orlando Magic can free up to $65.5 million in free agency this offseason. That\u2019s more than enough to sign George to the max. However, despite the Magic\u2019s (ahem) magical season in 2023-24, they aren\u2019t quite a bonafide contender. Perhaps they could make it back to the playoffs next year, but nobody is expecting Orlando to win a ring.<\/p>\n<p>For a player of George\u2019s stature, the thought is that he would like to compete for championships year-in and year-out. That\u2019s the standard \u2014at least so far as mentality \u2014that\u2019s been set by the all-time greats. That said, for all of his flaws, George is one of the most talented players ever. So wouldn\u2019t he have the same mentality as James or idol <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bryanko01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kobe Bryant<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean, for sure contributing to winning basketball,\u201d George says of what he\u2019s looking for at this stage of his career. \u201cBut I mean, at this point \u2014I&#8217;m not even necessarily\u2026 \u2014it&#8217;s not even about people saying chasing a championship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s not that, but it&#8217;s playing the right style of basketball is what I&#8217;m chasing,\u201d he finishes.<\/p>\n<p>With that, the door opens for his arrival in Orlando. He\u2019s already lauded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/banchpa01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paolo Banchero<\/a>\u2019s superstar potential after the Magic\u2019s rising star averaged 27.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"it\">\ud83d\udd2ePaul George on Paolo Banchero. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/d2KsvPlAQg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/d2KsvPlAQg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Rayshard\u277c ( PG-13\/Klay SZN\ud83d\udc51 ) (@Rayshard07) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Rayshard07\/status\/1803491846112551065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>If he\u2019s willing to defer to Banchero \u2014who has become the Magic\u2019s fulcrum on offense \u2014and lend his two-way excellence as a 1B to Banchero\u2019s 1A, then he\u2019d be a great match.<\/p>\n<h3>A Magical Match<\/h3>\n<p>To start, George is an elite perimeter defender joining a team that prides itself for its defense. In fact, Orlando ranked fourth in opponent\u2019s points per game (108.4) and second in defensive rating (111.3) last season thanks to their physical tools. Joining the Magic as a 6-foot-8 and 220-pound shooting guard, Orlando just becomes that much more formidable.<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, George is marksman from deep, knocking down 38.5 percent of his career 3s. Over the past five seasons, he\u2019s made 39.7 percent of his long range attempts. So, while his heavy diet of tough midrange jumpers can leave him vulnerable to an off night, his 3-ball is consistent.<\/p>\n<p>Last but not least, in order to truly be a championship contender, they have to be able to beat the reigning champions. In this case, that\u2019s the Boston Celtics. One of the few superteams left in the NBA, they only lost three playoff games on their way to hoisting the Larry O\u2019Brien. The Magic may have an MVP caliber player and exceptional defense but they simply need more talent to compete with the likes of the Celtics.<\/p>\n<p>George gives them that. A go-to scorer for years, he averaged 23.4 points per game in his final two seasons with the Indiana Pacers, 25.0 points per game with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and 23.0 points per game with the Clippers. A player who can literally do it all, he\u2019s led teams to the postseason as the No. 1 option on several occasions. If they need a player to break down the defense, create something out of nothing, or takeover as a scorer, he can do that. Perhaps not as consistently as people would like \u2014which underscores <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wagnefr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Franz Wagner<\/a>\u2019s importance \u2014but plenty.<\/p>\n<p>After spending seven years in the Western Conference, the time is ripe for a return back East. And, just because he\u2019s leaving California behind, he doesn\u2019t have to leave the weather. But does George believe in magic?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Los Angeles Clippers swingman Paul George still hasn\u2019t publicly said he\u2019ll be opting out his deal ahead of the 2024-25 season. However, his contract negotiations with the Clippers have fallen through, L.A. unwilling to pay him more than running mate Kawhi Leonard. As a result, the nine-time All-Star is widely expected to opt out of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":82129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,1608,27,62,13],"tags":[1107,444,297,4557,3823,50],"class_list":["post-82120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magic","category-basketball","category-clippers","category-nba","category-76ers","tag-daryl-morey","tag-james-harden","tag-nba-free-agency","tag-nba-offseason","tag-paolo-banchero","tag-paul-george"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}