The Los Angeles Clippers are on the verge of the pivotal offseason as they move into a new arena, and it sounds like they’re motivated to retain two of their biggest stars.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers “are determined to keep Paul George and James Harden in free agency” ahead of an impending move to to the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
George can choose to decline the $48.8 million player option on his deal and test free agency this summer. Harden played the 2023-24 season on the final year of his deal and made $35.7 million.
The Clippers acquired Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers in a blockbuster trade in November. Many expected that pairing the former NBA MVP with George and Kawhi Leonard would vault Los Angeles into title contention, but the team dealt with inconsistencies throughout the year and fell in six games to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs.
The Clippers had the opportunity to offer a four-year, $221 million contract extension to George during the season, but Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reported earlier this week that the Clippers “haven’t offered George a dollar more than what they paid [Kawhi] Leonard: three years, $152.4 million.”
By failing to extend George, Los Angeles is risking the possibility of losing a key part of its core. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Sunday that the Sixers’ “desire to sign Paul George is well-known,” so there will undoubtedly be some competition for the nine-time All-Star. Philadelphia can offer him a deal of up to $212 million over four years, so Los Angeles will need to increase its offer to retain him.