The Paul George Sweepstakes are over for the Warriors.
The nine-time NBA All-Star is declining his $48.7 million player option with the Los Angeles Clippers and will enter free agency, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Saturday, citing sources.
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George will hit the open market Sunday, and Wojnarowski added that he is planning to meet with cap space teams, in addition to the Clippers, beginning Sunday night.
George has been tied to several trade rumors involving the Warriors all offseason, and multiple league sources confirmed Golden State's interest in George to NBC Sports Bay Area on Wednesday – while also citing numerous circumstances that could prevent the vision from becoming reality.
One of those was George having to exercise his option for the final year of his current Clippers contract ($48.8 million), which would provide Los Angeles with a sign-and-trade option.
But after Saturday's report, that no longer is on the table -- but it doesn't mean the Warriors didn't try.
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“I'm calling everybody, but if the player is not available and there's not a price, then there's no trade that can be made,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy told reporters Monday.
“We have to be realistic, and I don't want to like, press and overdo something. Some patience needs to take place while at the same time recognizing sort of this time horizon we have with Steph and Draymond [Green] and hopefully Klay.
"As those guys kind of get a little bit older, we have to be mindful at a point they are not at a level to compete for a championship. I don't think that's too [soon]. But at some point, it probably will be.”
But the opt-in/trade route the Warriors once eyed now is gone, and their pursuit of a big-name star will have to take a different path -- or resort to within.
Golden State prioritized a trade for George over re-signing franchise icon Klay Thompson, NBA insider Marc Stein reported Friday, who also is set to hit the open market Sunday.
But with George off the table for Golden State, the team could now be back on Thompson's line. The four-time NBA champion reportedly is receiving free-agent interest from a handful of teams around the league, including the Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks.
It appears Thompson now has full control of his future as the Warriors' offseason plan must reroute, though even that looks grim for Golden State.
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