Los Angeles Clippers They refused to offer Paul George a no-transfer clause or a maximum four-year contract. For his part, the player responded by not giving in and accepting the Philadelphia 76ers‘ offer for four years and $212 million as soon as free agency begins in July.
This decision represented a major change in the way the Los Angeles franchise had operated under the tenure of Steve Ballmer, who had always yielded to the demands of his stars with a lot of patience and juicy financial deals. While the Clippers were willing to keep their two stars, they weren’t willing to commit so many years to the draft around George and Kawhi Leonard, who are now in their 30s.
“I don’t know when the plan changed,” Clippers owner Ballmer admitted to the media. ESPN. «The reality is that our situation was changing simply because kids are becoming more and more veterans. So our thinking changed: with or without Paul [George]we had to do something.
So the Clippers were willing to put three years and 150 million on the table, instead of the four requested by the 76ers forward. “We wanted him to come back,” Ballmer continued. «We made him a great offer. We really wanted it here. We just didn’t want to stay in a position where we couldn’t be consistently good. We offered him the maximum for three years and Philadelphia offered him the maximum for four years. “I understand it, but due to our history and desire to compete it would have been a problem for us.”
Despite George’s departure, Ballmer believes the reinforcements and additions made have improved the Clippers’ roster. «Without his continuity we could improve our team. Maybe we wouldn’t have brought in Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn, Kevin Porter Jr., Nico Batum if [Paul George] had continued. I’m not Paul George, no, but we’ve grown stronger.
Lawrence Frank, head of the Los Angeles franchise offices, also explained the position of the Clippers, who would have found themselves facing a team above the second seed for several seasons if they had renewed George. «Once yours the picks freeze and you’re on the second apron for several years, you’re really screwed,” the executive said. “You’re left in a situation where you never have room in the salary cap, you’re left without medium level exception and you can only operate strictly on minimum wages and transfers. “Our goal is to be a sustainable contender.”
(Cover photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)