On May 9, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs are underway, in which Strus said that the Celtics are a strong team and must do better in the details, Alexander revealed that we have good single defenders and basket protectors, and are united on both offensive and defensive ends. I'm sorry, All-Star guard James Harden, the Los Angeles Clippers' first contract extension is deadlocked, and owner Ballmer wants to keep Paul George and continue to partner Kawhi Leonard, but the latter refuses a regular contract and insists on asking for a maximum salary.
According to the latest report from the Register, as the team's president, Frank talked about the first contract extension in an interview, and he said that he hoped to bring Paul George back to the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason, and continue to partner Kawhi Leonard and James Harden to form a Big Three lineup. It should be emphasized that the matter of wanting to renew Paul George's contract in advance was actually discussed with the former by team owner Ballmer after the 2023-2024 All-Star season, but both sides decided that it was not appropriate, and put the time until the end of the season, and now these negotiations are restarted.
It is worth mentioning that Paul George, who played for the Los Angeles Clippers this season and partnered with Kawhi Leonard for four seasons, as an All-Star level small forward, has not won a championship so far, and the superstars LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry who competed with him have all won it, playing a total of 74 games in the regular season. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, and played a total of six games in the playoffs, averaging 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
You must know that after Paul George ends this season, because he has a player option, he can choose to jump out of the contract, become an unrestricted player, enter the trade market, and seek a contract extension that satisfies him, according to the collective bargaining agreement, this summer offseason, the former can choose to sign a four-year $221 million maximum salary with owner Ballmer and team president Frank, with an average annual salary of $55.25 million, compared to the contracts offered by other teams, a difference of nine million dollars. Obviously for George, maximizing profit is his pursuit, after all, money is more important than championships.
Now with the first contract extension of the Los Angeles Clippers at an impasse, for the retention of All-Star forward Paul George, owner Ballmer and President Frank hope that the former will not leave, but the two sides are discussing this new contract, and there seems to be little progress, for the former who has not won the championship in his career, he must want to get a salary worth $221 million for four years, otherwise he will choose to leave and join a team that is willing to give a big contract. It should be noted that I am sorry to James Harden here, if George does not stay, then his championship dream will be shattered.