Paul George was one of the few star players to change teams this offseason, signing with the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent after negotiations with him and the Los Angeles Clippers fell through. And while it was never discussed at the time, it’s possible that there were conversations at some point between George and the Los Angeles Lakers during that time.
George and the Lakers have been linked in one way or another for years. George, then a young star for the Indiana Pacers, had requested a trade and had cited the Lakers as his preferred destination. Given the Pacers’ asking price and the fact that George would be a free agent the following year, the Lakers opted not to trade him and took a gamble that he would sign there the following summer.
He was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he signed an extension and was eventually traded to the Clippers along with free agent Kawhi Leonard. But recent changes to the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement made it difficult for the Clippers to offer George a long-term deal. They opted to let him go, sending him straight to the 76ers alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
But in the meantime, George’s father hoped – and may have even reached out – that the Lakers would be a possible fallback for his son, via Podcast P:
“It was painful. I felt like they stabbed us in the back because I thought Paul had done a lot for the team, as far as the fan base, the fans were there. He was there. I think he gave them 110 percent and what he was asking for, it wasn’t much. But they saw something different. I thought OK, well, we’ll go next door then. [to the Lakers] but they’ve already spent too much money. I thought we’d still go down the tunnel, but we’d wear a different color.
While the Lakers’ arrival of George could have been a sea change for the league, it likely wouldn’t have been possible under the new collective bargaining agreement guidelines. The Lakers would have had to orchestrate a sign-and-trade deal for a max salary and end up about $12 million below their current payroll.
But George’s family, lifelong Lakers fans, wanted to see if there was a way to make that happen. Instead, George will try to help the 76ers do what he couldn’t accomplish in Los Angeles: win a championship.
Paul George felt like he was on the B-Team in Los Angeles
After leaving the Clippers, Paul George admitted that playing for them in Los Angeles didn’t have the same shine as playing for the Lakers. He felt like the The Clippers were considered a B team in the cityeven though they were coming off a more successful period than the Lakers when he arrived.
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