Paul George revealed his facet of the negotiation story throughout a current episode of his podcast, detailing why he left the Los Angeles Clippers for the Philadelphia 76ers. George mentioned the Clippers initially provided him simply $60 million over two years final fall.
“I’m like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,” George mentioned on his podcast, “Podcast P.” “Two years, 60? That’s loopy! I’m not signing that.”
George tabled extension talks in February, a couple of weeks after Kawhi Leonard signed a three-year, $153 million extension with the Clippers. George was eager about a just like Leonard, however the Clippers provided him much less.
“‘We got here right here collectively, we wish to end this s— collectively. I’ll take what Kawhi acquired, I used to be cool with that and we have been nonetheless taking much less. Kawhi took much less, so if Kawhi takes much less, I’m not going,” he mentioned.
“It’s not about me being paid greater than him. I’m going to take what he acquired.’ They didn’t wish to do this … Let me get to the top of this 12 months and we’ll talk about this once more.”
George mentioned the Clippers additionally declined to incorporate a no-trade clause, which led him to request a fourth season {that a} rival workforce may additionally provide in free company. The Clippers may have paid as much as $221 million on a four-year contract, however he was keen to remain for a similar quantity he may make on the open market.
“They didn’t wish to do no commerce,” George mentioned. “I’m like, all proper, nicely then it solely is smart for me to do 4 years, $212 million. No less than pay me my cash. If y’all going to commerce me, y’all going to commerce me. However a minimum of now I’m not in a scenario the place I may have gotten extra, had I simply gone to free company, then simply take this deal the place y’all may ship me. … They didn’t wish to do this, so now I used to be like, I’m open to entertaining what’s on the market.”
George additionally thought a situation with the Golden State Warriors was shut.
“That was an actual factor that was near being executed,” George mentioned of a attainable commerce to Golden State. “It was very intriguing and it was nonetheless a chance to remain near dwelling, keep on the West Coast, and it was a win-win. I feel Steph is a unicorn, certainly one of one participant, and Joel’s a unicorn… So it was sort of like a superb scenario to be in the midst of, however finally the deal didn’t undergo. I feel the Clippers didn’t desire a sure commerce deal that the Warriors have been keen to present … nevertheless it was shut. It’d been dope, man.”
George finally most well-liked to stay with the Clippers and it was their negotiations that led to his exit.
“Simply to place it on the market, I by no means needed to go away LA initially,” George mentioned. “I used to be not attempting to go away LA. LA is dwelling. That is the place I needed to complete at. I needed to work as exhausting as attainable to win one in LA, that was the aim … the primary preliminary deal was, I believed, sort of disrespectful.”
