The Warriors' pursuit of a trade for Paul George fell through Saturday when the star forward opted out of his Los Angeles Clippers contract to enter NBA free agency.
And while Golden State reportedly came close to acquiring George, the Clippers released a statement Sunday explaining why an opt-in and trade scenario for the nine-time NBA All-Star wasn't feasible after he informed the team he wouldn't re-sign with them this offseason.
"We negotiated for months with Paul and his representative on a contract that would make sense for both sides, and we were left far apart," the Clippers said. "The gap was significant. We understand and respect Paul's decision to look elsewhere for his next contract. We explored an opt-in and trade scenario, but it would have left us in a similar position under the new CBA, with very little asset value to justify the restrictions."
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The NBA's new collective bargaining agreement places even more restrictions on taxpaying teams like the Clippers, who, according to their statement, have taken an incredibly thoughtful approach to their roster construction. While George is eligible for a four-year, $221 million max contract, Los Angeles has agreed to bring on a more cost-effective addition in point guard James Harden at two years, $70 million, ESPN reported Sunday, citing sources.
The Warriors were willing to give George the max contract he desires, The Athletic's Tim Kawakami reported in a column published Saturday, but only if they could unload some of their own salary in an opt-in and trade deal with the Clippers.
Per Kawakami, Golden State believed it had proposed "several variations of a trade that the Clippers could and would accept," with veterans Steph Curry and Draymond Green even signing off on the arrangement. But according to Los Angeles, deals they discussed still would have left them in an unpleasant tax situation under the new CBA.
Golden State Warriors
George now is an unrestricted free agent and reportedly will hold meetings with a handful of interested teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic, in the coming days. But unfortunately for both the Warriors and Clippers, they're no longer in the conversation.
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