Paul George is officially set to join another NBA team as the Clippers announce his departure from the franchise.
“Paul has informed us that he is signing his next contract with another team,” the Clippers said in a statement. “Paul is a tremendous talent and an elite two-way player. We feel fortunate for the five years we spent with him. Over that span, he went to three All Star Games, made the most 3-pointers in franchise history and helped lead the team to a place it had never been. His performances in Games 5 and 6 against Utah in 2021 won’t be forgotten by anyone associated with the Clippers.”
The Clippers spoke about the haul they sent out to land George, which included Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five first round picks, and two pick swaps, saying, “We traded a lot to pair Paul and Kawhi, and in exchange, we had five seasons of contention. Even though we fell short of our ultimate objective, we appreciate the chances we had with Paul.”
The team also addressed the situation with George and James Harden.
“Heading into this offseason, our roster was constructed three great players 33 and over, two of whom could become free agents,” the Clippers added. “We wanted to retain them on contracts that would allow us, under the constraints of the new CBA, to continue building the team.”
The frontrunner to land PG-13 is now the 76ers, who would have quite the new-look team.
The franchise have already signed Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon since free agency began.
Having Tyrese Maxey, George and Joel Embiid working together on offense will surely get the 76ers one step closer to a championship.
George is after a four-year max deal and since the Magic have signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to his deal, the only other team that can offer George that kind of deal is the Pistons.
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