On May 4, Beijing time, the Clippers lost to the Mavericks 101-114 away and were eliminated with a total score of 2-4. Harden and George were still in poor shape, with Harden 16 points, 7 rebounds and 13 assists on 5-of-16 shooting and 0-of-6 three-pointers, while George had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists for 6-of-18 shooting and 2-of-10 from three-point range. It's going to be a busy summer for Clippers management, as they face multiple contract extensions, with the three most important renewal targets being Tyronn Lue, George, and Harden. Before the G6 game, Woj reported that the Clippers' plan was to keep Lu, George and Harden, could they get their way?
Lu guided the Lakers to select a coach
Just earlier today, the Lakers had officially announced the firing of Ham, and the four candidates revealed by Shams were Budenholzer, Redick, Atkinson and Tyronn Lue. Of course, the prerequisite for Lue to really become an option is for the Clippers to fire him. Shortly after Shams' report came out, Woj reported that the Clippers were planning to re-sign Lue to a long-term contract.
Since Lue coached in the 2020-2021 season, the Clippers have a 184-134 record, the sixth-best record in the NBA during the same period. Lue won the NBA championship as a Cavaliers coach in 2016 with an overall regular season record of 312-217 (59% winning percentage) and a playoff record of 52-33 (61.2% winning percentage).
Lue has one year left on his contract, and now it seems that although the Clippers are out of the first round, management will not fire him, but also intends to renew his contract early. This is also a common practice of the Clippers in recent years: whenever the Lakers are interested in players and coaches, they try not to give their rivals a chance.
Coach Lu's coaching has not been without questioning. For example, in the G6 game, Clippers reporter Esnaashari wrote on social media when the team fell behind in the final quarter: "I really don't understand why the Clippers didn't send George + Harden + Zubac + Mann + Powell again to give them the lead in the second quarter." ”
Harden could also stay with the team for the long term
Harden won't be eligible for a contract extension until this summer, and although he will become a free agent, Harden has already stated that he wants to stay with the Clippers for a long time and play until retirement. Now, the Clippers are also rumored to be willing to renew Harden's contract, and the two sides are likely to continue to work together.
Although the Clippers, aiming for a championship, failed to break through the first round this season, Leonard's injury was an important reason. Harden's overall performance was in line with the team's expectations. In the regular season this season, Harden averaged 16.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game, and his three-point shooting rate of 38.1% was the third-highest of his career. In 27 regular-season games in which Harden assists a double-double, the Clippers are 23-4. In the playoffs, Harden performed well in the first four games, but the last two games were more stretchy and his hand was not good.
It's unknown how much of a contract Harden can sign. Unlike before, he is a year older, and his overall stats have dropped a lot, and he has missed the All-Star for two consecutive years. Theoretically, the Clippers won't offer him a salary cap. Looking around the league, could Harden be better? This is only his first year with the Clippers, and he should give himself and the team more time.
George's whereabouts became the biggest suspense
Among the three contract renewals, the biggest suspense is still on George. He signed a three-year, $153 million contract with the Clippers in January, a contract extension that was slightly below the maximum salary ($161 million). He said at the time that his contract extension would favor Harden and George in the future.
George has a $48.8 million player option next season, and he's eligible to jump out of his contract and sign a four-year, $221 million contract with the Clippers, with the maximum he could get if he signed with another team, which is slightly less.
However, the problem is that the Clippers don't seem to be planning to give George a max contract, and it was previously reported that if he signs a three-year contract, the Clippers will also offer George less than the one given to the small card. The Clippers need to juggle the salary cap. They have the second-highest total spending this season at $342 million, behind the Warriors' $382.4 million.
The 76ers and Magic are two teams that could be chasing George, especially the 76ers, who have $76.8 million in salary space in the offseason and are expected to sign a superstar to partner Embiid and Maxey, with the 76ers reporting that George is their number one target. The young Magic also want to get the experienced George, who may offer a higher contract than the Clippers. Unlike Harden, who has just arrived, George has been partnered with Xiaoka for 5 years, and he has not produced results, which may make him want to go. In the five years they have been together, they have only won three series in total, and have not won a series for three consecutive seasons.
In addition, the US media also gave an analysis from the perspective of taxation. The Clippers' California has a 13.3 percent state tax rate for those earning more than $1 million, and George is expected to earn $49.35 million next season, with $6.5 million in state taxes for that alone. And Pennsylvania, where the 76ers are located, has a state tax rate of 3.07%, and he only needs to pay $1.5 million in state taxes.
With a $4.02 million player option next season, he could also jump out of his contract and become a free agent. Will the Clippers retain their core roster for the 2024-25 season?