The Golden State Warriors reportedly made several trade offers to the Los Angeles Clippers for Paul George before he chose to opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent. According to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, the Warriors' offers included various combinations of Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and a future first-round pick. While the Warriors were clear that they would not trade all these pieces, they believed they had presented the Clippers with acceptable trade variations. Additionally, Golden State was prepared to offer George a new max contract extension, contingent on him opting into the final year of his current deal.
George has opted out and will explore the free-agent market. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported that George is set to meet with the Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Orlando Magic at the start of free agency. The Sixers and Magic both have the cap space to sign George outright.
The Clippers and George have been negotiating an extension for months with little success. George is insisting on a four-year maximum deal, while the Clippers have offered a three-year, $149.7 million extension, similar to the one Kawhi Leonard signed in January. This standoff has created a game of chicken, with the Clippers on the verge of losing George for nothing if they don't meet his demands as free agency looms.
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank told reporters the team wants to retain George but must consider the financial ramifications of the new collective bargaining agreement.
"This is a business, and the reality of the new CBA impacts teams like us," Frank said. "When your better players are in their 30s and you're trying to build a sustainable roster, it impacts it.
"If there was no CBA, with [team owner] Steve Ballmer, it would be carte blanche. With the new CBA, it's not even about the money; it's about how you build a sustainable roster and maintain your tools to have transactional flexibility. And with that comes really, really hard decisions."
As currently constituted, the Clippers are about $54.1 million below the first tax apron and $65 million below the second apron. Re-signing Paul George would bring them close to the first apron, not even considering the potential return of James Harden. Bringing back both Harden and George would push the Clippers well past the second apron, severely limiting their roster flexibility moving forward.
The CBA has also created a financial squeeze for the Warriors, likely leading to Klay Thompson leaving in free agency this summer primarily for financial reasons. Despite regularly being the NBA's most expensive team, owner Joe Lacob has expressed a desire to avoid the tax.
Missing out on George puts the Warriors at a critical juncture. They could easily get under the tax by waiving Chris Paul's $30 million contract, but doing so would likely doom them to the lottery for the foreseeable future.
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