DALLAS — After shedding within the first spherical with Kawhi Leonard injured for the second straight postseason, the LA Clippers head into the offseason with uncertainty surrounding the futures of Paul George and James Harden.
George has a participant choice for subsequent season value $48.eight million and might develop into a free agent if he and the Clippers are unable to agree on an extension previous to June 30. Harden might be an unrestricted free agent and will wait to see what occurs with George first earlier than determining his future with the Clippers.
Following the Clippers’ 114-101 loss in Game 6 at Dallas, George was requested if he sees himself with the Clippers long run alongside with Leonard and Harden.
“Yeah,” George stated. “If it works that way, absolutely.”
After the Clippers’ season got here to an finish, George and Harden stated they have not actually considered their contracts but.
“I don’t even know,” stated Harden, who completed with 16 factors, 13 assists and 7 rebounds however missed all six of his 3-point makes an attempt on Friday. “You are asking a lot of questions that I don’t have the answer to or haven’t even thought about.”
The Clippers have a busy offseason forward of them as far as making an attempt to maintain this workforce intact. The franchise is planning to pursue a contract extension with Ty Lue to keep away from having the top coach enter the ultimate yr of his deal in 2025-26, sources advised ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday.
And then there’s George and Harden. Leonard signed a three-year, $153-million extension in January. With the Clippers more likely to exceed $200 million in payroll subsequent season, they are going to be restricted in how they will enhance the workforce as a result of second apron.
Should George develop into a free agent, there may very well be a number of suitors for the 34-year-old.
George performed 74 common season video games this season, essentially the most he is performed by far in his 5 seasons with the Clippers. The All-Star averaged 22.6 factors, 5.2 rebounds and a career-high 41.3% from Three this season.
After buying and selling for Harden in late October, the Clippers finally took off and went on a 26-5 tear in the midst of the season to succeed in the highest of the Western Conference standings in early February.
But the workforce sputtered after that as a consequence of accidents and inconsistency. Leonard missed the ultimate eight video games of the common season and Game 1 of the primary spherical with irritation in his surgically-repaired proper knee. He performed in Games 2 and three earlier than the workforce held him out after he did not appear like his regular self in Game 3.
George, who completed with 18 factors and 11 rebounds however shot 2-for-10 from 3-point vary in Game 6, stated he’ll discuss his future together with his household and family members quickly.
“I’m not even focused on that yet,” George stated of his future. “I got a lot to kind of digest myself, so I haven’t even got to that yet. Look forward to kind of going back, just letting everything kind of decompress, talk to my family, be around family support and then address the next step… Yeah, it’s just not where I’m there. I’m not there yet.”