The Warriors appeared to be close to completing a Paul George trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Warriors are close to acquiring the nine-time NBA All-Star before George reportedly declined his $48.7 million contract option with Los Angeles on Saturday, effectively eliminating any chance of Golden State acquiring him, The Athletic reported. Tim Kawakami reported in his latest column:Cite your sources.
“[George’s opt-out decision] “Serious negotiations took place between the Warriors, George and the Clippers leading up to George’s contract deadline Saturday afternoon, and the Warriors believed at various times they were on the verge of acquiring the 34-year-old small forward,” a team source said.
“The Warriors had agreed to a maximum four-year contract extension when George joined the team. They believed they had offered several trade variations that the Clippers could and would accept.”
Kawakami also reported that George had expressed a “strong desire” to join the Warriors and that Golden State veterans Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were “100 percent” in favor of the move, but financial concerns “were weighing heavily” on the Clippers’ side.
According to Kawakami, the Warriors offered multiple trade packages the Clippers would likely accept, including some combination of Andrew Wiggins, Chris Paul, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody along with a future first-round draft pick.
Kawakami added that the Warriors probably wouldn’t have included both Wiggins and Kuminga in their offer.
George is currently an unrestricted free agent and is reportedly scheduled to meet in the coming days with several interested teams, including the Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic.
Unfortunately, the Warriors will no longer be in the running for a championship.
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