Paul George Hopped On His Podcast And Gave Us An Inside Look At How He Came To The Decision To Leave The Clippers

Rocky Widner. Getty Images.

It was only a matter of time before we got the inside details about Paul George's departure from the Clippers on his podcast, and now that everything is signed sealed, and delivered, that's exactly what we now have

Alright, there's a lot to digest here. After listening to his side of the story, parts are a little crazy, other parts aren't all that crazy based on what we've seen from both the Clippers and other stars at this same stage of their careers.

If I were Paul George, there would be no way I would take that 2/60M offer. No chance in hell. While $30M may seem like a lot to us normal people, that's just not going to get it done in today's NBA for a player of George's caliber. I think PG is totally fair in how he responded to that offer.

Now, asking for Kawhi money? I can understand the idea, but the thing is Paul George is not a better basketball player than Kawhi Leonard. Both come with injury risks for sure, but when healthy, we know Kawhi can be the true #1 on a title team. With that comes perks/contract offers etc. Not everyone is created and treated equal in business and in life. I think it's a fine counter from George's side, but I don't blame the Clippers for being hesitant. As a reminder, this is Kawhi's deal. No options, all guaranteed

Well, as George explains, the Clippers eventually came back with this number. He got his Kawhi offer. That's what he said he wanted right? So what's the problem? Ah, yes, the no trade clause. Something that's virtually unheard of in today's NBA, and the latest example of someone getting it (Bradley Beal) shows exactly why teams are reluctant to do it. NBA players nowadays can demand trades whenever they want, and if you have a no trade clause you can force yourself to a certain team no matter what. Even if there's a better offer out there for you, if you have the no trade you can block the team from doing it. You can understand why teams don't love those things and don't exactly give them out all willy nilly.

At the same time, George's concern with that is fair to some degree. We shouldn't forget that these same Clippers gave Blake Griffin his max extension, talked about how they wanted him to retire a Clipper, they were going to put him in the rafters etc, and then two seconds later they immediately traded him to the fucking Detroit Pistons. Call me crazy, but had Griffin had a no trade clause, my guess is that never happens. So while George is fair to ask, the Clippers are also fair to tell him to get bent, here's your 3/150M just like you said you wanted.

Now pissed off, you can then understand why George went with the one thing the Clippers weren't going to do, which was that 4th year. You know who was willing? Daryl Morey

Advertisement

And that's the risk you run when there are other teams on the market with a shit ton of cash to spend and have a positional need that Paul George can fill. Is he maybe overvaluing himself a little bit? Frankly, I believe that your value isn't what you're worth, it's what you have the leverage to negotiate. Paul George knew he had leverage, so he used it. I wouldn't want my favorite team to hand out that contract to a 34 year old wing with injury concerns, but to each their own. Someone on the market was willing to do it, so that's George's current value.

Where he lost me a little bit is the whole no trade clause angle. Kawhi doesn't have one, plenty of the best players in the NBA do not have one. Yes, there's a chance you could be traded one day if the team finds a deal that makes sense and maybe you aren't living up to your deal. You know what you get in return to combat that possibility? 

150 MILLION DOLLARS GUARANTEED. 

But hey, that's life in the NBA in 2024. It's a players league, especially the stars. If you aren't willing to give them what they want, they'll leave one way or another. Whether that's demanding a trade in season or leaving in free agency, the best of the best in the league have their teams by the balls. Now with how much harder it is to build roster in the new CBA, it feels like they have even more power. It's not as if these teams can easily replace high talent players given the new restrictions and how high the salaries are nowadays, so if anything this is just the beginning.

What's important to remember is that Paul George never wanted to leave the Clippers. You know, despite having the opportunity to not leave the Clippers and deciding to leave anyway. He had to make that clear.