Paul George Wanted To Stay In L.A., But Felt ‘Disrespected’ By First Offer

All-Star Paul George wanted to remain an L.A. Clipper, but he felt the organization “disrespected” him through the first contract offer.

During a segment on Podcast P with Paul George, the guard made it clear he wanted to stay in Los Angeles. “L.A. is home. This is where I wanted to finish, and I wanted to work as hard as possible to win a title in L.A.,” George commented. “As it played out, though, the first offer was kind of disrespectful, no hard feelings.”

The 76ers swayed the all-star in with a four-year, $212 million contract in the opening days of free agency.

George stated that he and his representatives opened discussions with Los Angeles in October 2023, but months later, the 34-year-old was offered a deal averaging $44 million. In January, the Clippers extended Kawhi Leonard for three years, worth $152 million. After learning of his former teammate’s extension, George wanted a deal similar to Leonard’s. “Just give me what Kawhi got,” the All-Star said. “Y’all view us the same. We came here together. We want to finish this together.”

According to George, the Clippers pitched an offer of three years, $150 million after the season, identical to his former teammate’s extension, but the guard desired a no-trade clause. Los Angeles then countered with a four-year deal worth $212 million with a no-trade clause. George declined the agreement and tested free agency.

“I thought I did enough to earn that contract. They didn’t want to do it, so it was a stalemate. I love [owners] Steve Balmer, I love Lawerence Frank, but at that point, it didn’t feel right to come back,” George said.

In 74 games, the 34-year-old was close to a 40-50-90 shooting campaign, making 47.1% from the field, 41.3% beyond the arc and converting 90.7% of free throws.

Article by Christian Bongiorno