The Los Angeles Clippers drew a line in the sand when it came to Paul George’s contract negotiations. In the end, they opted not to budge, leading to George signing with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this offseason.
But the Clippers’ approach in the final stretch before George could become a free agent led to a bit of head-scratching and decisions that left fans somewhat baffled. The Clippers let George leave in free agency, meaning they got nothing in return, even though there were reports of potential sign-and-trade offers on the table, specifically from the Golden State Warriors.
Fans and some media members were apparently not the only ones confused by the Clippers’ decision to simply let George walk, as 76ers president Daryl Morey admitted he was a bit caught off guard as well. While speaking on the “Rights To Ricky Sanchez” podcast, Morey said they didn’t understand what the Clippers were doing after their press release announcing that George was leaving.
“And so this press release comes out and we’re all looking at each other, we’re like, ‘This seems good.’ And then we’re reading it again, and we’re like, ‘Yeah, that’s really good. What are the Clippers doing? We don’t understand,” Morey said.
Morey went on to explain that while he knew the Clippers had drawn a line on contract talks, he believed they’d undraw that line, similar to something he witnessed previously with Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat.
“We had heard that they sort of were going to probably draw a line, but we actually thought the whole time they were going to, and I’ve had this before … I was going after Chris Bosh years ago, he was coming to us because Miami had drawn a line, and then Miami undrew the line at the last minute,” Morey explained. “So I really thought that was most likely what would happen.”
The Clippers’ decision to let George leave in free agency meant the Warriors couldn’t make him an offer anywhere close to what the 76ers could, as the nine-time All-Star inked a four-year, $212M max deal with Philly. This set Morey and the 76ers up for their dream scenario, and they quickly came to terms with George, creating one of the NBA’s most exciting new trios with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
