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Amid his contract standoff with the LA Clippers, star wing Paul George's days with the franchise could be numbered. According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, George could be shipped to a new team as soon as this weekend.
George, who has a $48.8 million player option for next season, has reportedly been seeking a four-year, $221 million contract extension from LA. However, per The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey, the Clippers "haven’t been willing" to offer him more than his co-star Kawhi Leonard's three-year, $152.3 million extension.
Meanwhile, rival teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers, can better satisfy George's request by offering him a four-year free-agency deal worth around $212 million.
With the nine-time All-Star's Saturday opt-in deadline fast approaching, speculation has increased regarding him potentially exercising his player option and requesting a trade. On Monday's edition of ESPN's "Get Up," Windhorst touched on that possibility, noting that George could be days away from being dealt.
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"He could opt into his contract and get traded by this weekend," Windhorst said. "That is something that is going to come to a head in the next day or two if he wants to go with that option because, obviously, you'd have to negotiate a trade, and then a team wouldn't necessarily need salary cap space."
Windhorst added that a George trade would likely mark the first domino that kickstarts this offseason's big-name player movement.
"So, the Paul George sweepstakes is gonna come to a head—at least that aspect of it—faster than those other players who are gonna be free agents like Klay Thompson and DeMar DeRozan," Windhorst said. "So, Paul George has a different menu of options, and we're gonna see some action in that, probably coming up very quickly after the draft."
New York Knicks viewed as potential Paul George trade suitor
Paul George opting into his player option and requesting a trade would open the door for additional teams to target him, beyond those with cap space. Per NBA insider Marc Stein's Monday report, one such team reportedly eyeing a potential deal is the New York Knicks.
"Another trusted source has advised me to keep the Knicks on the list as a potential trade suitor for George if the All-NBA swingman indeed opts into the final season of his current contract at $48.8 million," Stein wrote.
New York is coming off a second-place (50-32) Eastern Conference finish. Meanwhile, it came within one win of securing its first East finals berth since 2000, falling 4-3 to the Indiana Pacers in Round 2 of this year's playoffs.
So, perhaps George could elevate the Knicks' veteran core, headlined by star point guard Jalen Brunson, to the next level.
Despite the Clippers' apparent reluctance to offer him a four-year deal, George is coming off his ninth All-Star campaign. Over 74 contests, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.3 3-pointers per game on 47.1% shooting.
