Paul George Trade Rumors: Warriors' Offers Reportedly Included Chris Paul and Wiggins Before His Opt-Out Decision

 

Jim Cowsert/NBAE via Getty Images

The Golden State Warriors reportedly offered the Los Angeles Clippers several variations of trades for Paul George before the All-Star decided to opt out of his contract and hit unrestricted free agency.

According to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, the offers included Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and a future first-round pick in some combination. The report indicates that while the Warriors did not propose including all these pieces in one deal, they believed they had offered several acceptable variations to the Clippers.

Golden State was also willing to give George a new max contract extension, but any trade required him to opt into the final year of his current contract. George instead chose to opt out and explore the free-agent market. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported that George is set to meet with the Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Orlando Magic at the start of free agency. Both the Sixers and Magic have the cap space to sign George outright.

The Clippers and George have been negotiating an extension for months without reaching an agreement. George has been firm in his demand for a four-year maximum contract, while the Clippers have offered a deal similar to the three-year, $149.7 million extension signed by Kawhi Leonard in January. This situation has created a stalemate, with the Clippers on the verge of losing George for nothing if they refuse to meet his demands.

Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank told reporters that the team wants to retain George but must consider the financial ramifications of the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

"This is a business, and the reality of the new CBA impacts teams like us," Frank said. "When your better players are in their 30s and you're trying to build a sustainable roster, it impacts it. If there was no CBA, with [team owner] Steve Ballmer, it would be carte blanche. With the new CBA, it's not even about the money; it's about how you will build a sustainable roster and maintain your tools to have transactional flexibility. And with that comes hard decisions."

Currently, the Clippers are about $54.1 million under the first tax apron and $65 million under the second apron. Re-signing George would put them close to the first apron without even considering the potential return of James Harden. Bringing back both Harden and George would require the Clippers to exceed the second apron, significantly limiting their roster flexibility.

The CBA has also forced the Warriors into a cap crunch, likely resulting in Klay Thompson leaving in free agency this summer due to financial considerations. Golden State has been the NBA's most expensive team recently, but owner Joe Lacob has expressed a desire to reduce the tax burden.

Losing out on George puts the Warriors at a crossroads. They could easily drop below the tax threshold by waiving Chris Paul's $30 million contract, but that move would likely consign the Warriors to the lottery for the foreseeable future.