When the Los Angeles Clippers traded control of several of his first-round picks to Philadelphia 76ers For James Harden, they haven’t just signaled their intention to keep the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George core together for the foreseeable future. They are more or less committed to doing so. With no other assets to rebuild with, they were all implicated. Paying for this group was their only way to compete this decade.
The Clippers quickly held up their end of the bargain with Leonard, giving him a three-year extension worth around $150 million in January. They can’t legally extend Harden yet, but he is expected to receive a new deal as a free agent this offseason. But less than a month before the regular season, one of the three stars who represent the Clippers’ hopes has still not been signed. George, to date, has not agreed to an extension with the Clippers, and now, according to Mark Steinthose same 76ers who sent Harden to Los Angeles are now waiting for the opportunity to lure him to Philadelphia as a free agent.
Stein notes that the expectation for now is that George would prefer to stay in Los Angeles. However, the two sides have yet to find an acceptable middle ground in negotiations. This suits Philadelphia just fine because they don’t need to compromise. The 76ers will have the cap space to give George his all as a free agent over the summer.
The adjustment is simple. Philadelphia has an All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey and an MVP center at Joel Embiid. They have organized their draft list in a way that allows them to clear every existing player from their roster, except for Embiid and Maxey, this offseason if they choose, giving them not only the space to sign George, but also perhaps to keep some. from their own depth or also find it through trades with external free agents. If they stay healthy, a Philadelphia team built around Maxey, George and Embiid will almost certainly contend for a championship.
Of course, health was never a certainty for George. He only played in 189 games in his first four seasons as a Clipper, although he only missed six this season. This could explain why the Clippers have been hesitant to give him the contract he’s asking for now, especially given the injury issues Leonard is also having, as well as the possible age-related decline of one of their three stars . The Clippers, already seeded No. 4 in the Western Conference, also risk slipping to No. 5 and falling behind the New Orleans Pelicans. Maybe they want to see how this playoffs go before committing to several more years with this roster.
From a roster-building standpoint, however, they don’t have much choice. If George enters free agency, the Clippers would not have the cap space to replace him. Even if they did, there is no other George level free agent available unless LeBron James plans to leave the Lakers. Neither George nor the 76ers have much motivation to cooperate on a sign-and-trade since Philadelphia has ample cap space to sign him outright. The Clippers don’t have the capital to trade for another star.
From a negotiation standpoint, George has the Clippers over a barrel. If they want to continue to compete beyond this season, they’ll almost have to give him the contract he’s asking for. That they’re not just here to serve Philadelphia. The Clippers should remain the favorites to retain George’s services for now, but the longer they wait to extend him, the more realistic the 76ers’ threat becomes.
