Paul George declined his player option a few hours ago, thus becoming an unrestricted free agent in advance of the opening of free agency tomorrow. So far, he has scheduled meetings with the Clippers, the Orlando Magic, and the Philadelphia Sixers tomorrow night and early Monday, and it seems a decision won’t be too long after that.
On this episode of The Lob The Jam The Podcast, Lucas, Shap, and I talked about Paul George’s decision and what it means for the Clippers. We explored how the Clippers could proceed if he does decide to leave, including the obtainment of the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception and the ability to more easily extend Terrance Mann and Ivica Zubac. A few brief options were discussed regarding use of the MLE, none of them being very satisfying.
We also went over what happens for the Clippers if Paul George does come back, including options to try to get younger, find ways to save costs, and introduce more optionality to the team. While this is still the best overall option for the near term, the second apron hell it would put the Clippers into might be crippling in the long term.
There was also some talk about Paul George’s other options, and whether Philadelphia, Orlando, or another team might make sense. We also talked about the pure negotiation element of all this – how things have been leaked, why the stare-off, and what a reasonable compromise might be.
Finally, we chatted about the other Clippers’ news items today, including Russell Westbrook opting into his deal and the Clippers declining options/qualifying offers for Brandon Boston, Moussa Diabate, and Kai Jones, and what all that means for the team going forward.
As always, leave a 5 star review for whatever platform you listen to us on, and comment below!
