The 230 million salary is in vain! George's contract renewal talks collapsed! Goodbye, the Clippers' Big Four
George has been in good form lately. He's scored 20+ in eight straight games while shooting at least 45 percent from the field! This is the second time in George's career that he has done so, the last time dating back to the Pacers in 2017. In addition, George has hit 205 three-pointers this season, breaking the Clippers' single-season three-point shooting record!
However, George's contract extension negotiations with the Clippers have not progressed for a long time. According to NBA Athletic Marc Stein, the 76ers will pursue Paul George aggressively this summer once he enters free agency. According to TA reporter John Hollinger, in addition to the 76ers, several other Eastern Conference teams with space will also chase George.
Wait, didn't George want to renew his contract with the Clippers? Why did he enter the free market again? On January 10 of this year, Leonard took a three-year, $152.4 million salary cut to renew his contract with the Clippers! At that time, George responded: "Leonard's early contract extension undoubtedly opened the door for me! I am very optimistic that I can also reach something with the Clippers." ”
George is indeed too optimistic, more than two months have passed since the contract renewal of the small card, and there has been no progress in George's contract renewal, why? Very simply, the contract amount has not been negotiated! The maximum amount of George's contract with the Clippers in advance is four years and $233 million, and he wants a maximum salary, but the Clippers will not give it! After procrastinating for so long, the playoffs are getting closer and closer, which is bound to affect the morale of the military.
The 76ers have enough capital to chase George: 1. $60 million in salary space this summer, and 2) the team has five first-round picks available for trade. 76ers reporter Kyle Neubeck revealed: "The 76ers are really keeping a close eye on Paul George, but I'm also not sure if the team will give him a four-year max contract. ”
Why did the 76ers chase George? The Celtics traded for Holiday and Porzingis, and the Bucks traded for Lillard. If George doesn't come, relying only on Maxey and Embiid, the 76ers will have no chance to break out of the East. There aren't many big fish in the free market this summer, and the 76ers won't miss out on getting a star of George's calibre.
George has a salary of $45.64 million this season and a player option of $48.79 million next season. This summer, George could jump out of his contract and become a free agent. Leonard took a pay cut to renew his contract with the Clippers, and many Clippers fans hoped that George would take a pay cut as well. But George lost real money, and he wanted to sign a 4-year contract, and Xiaoka only signed for 3 years.
So far this season, George has played 62 games for the Clippers, averaging 34.1 minutes per game, scoring 22.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.5 blocks, shooting 46.5%, 40.2% and 89.3% from three. From George's point of view, the personal data is good, so he naturally wants to get the top salary, but the problem is that the Clippers don't give the small card a top salary.
Leonard also played in 62 games this season, averaging 34.2 minutes per game, with 23.8 points, 6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks, shooting 52.6%, 42.3% and 88.8% from three. The true shooting percentage of the small card is 63%, and the George is 60.3%. From the Clippers' point of view, the contract given to George is certainly lower than Leonard.
Comparing the 3-year $152.4 million in the small card, how much do you think George should take with the Clippers?