3 Clippers that earned untouchable status, 3 that should be cut loose
By Oliver Fox
3rd Cut: Paul George
We’re getting rid of a star, and it’s not Leonard. Are you sitting down?
The sting of the end of the season saw a lot of bricks fall squarely on Leonard, as any fleeting hopes the Clippers had were squarely on his shoulders. Paul George escaped most of the blame, probably since we had all aired out our grievances about his constant injuries weeks earlier, when the team announced he would not return in the first round of the playoffs.
But if anyone is going to fall off for real, it’s George. He is 33, and NBA history tells us that his injuries are going to seriously catch up with him sooner rather than later. I know I said with Leonard that it’s unwise to trade a guy whose stock is at an all-time low, but I’m not sure George’s is ever going to go back up to a lucrative level.
The hard part in a George trade is matching his colossal contract, but never fear, I have concocted a trade-machine monstrosity to fix the problem. Try not to faint:
Clippers Recieve: Damien Lillard, Nassir Little, Jusuf Nurkic
Trail Blazers Recieve: Paul George, Robert Covington, Norman Powell, 2028 First Round Pick
This trade will never happen in a billion years, but just look at it. Dame is way more valuable than George, so you’re going to have to take Nurkic’s problematic situation and give up more real assets in Norman Powell and a 2028 First. They cannot trade their 2027 pick, so this is the best I got.
Feel free to tell me I’m crazy, but I think this is the trade that saves the universe from itself. Only time will tell… but it probably won’t.
