If this proposal is offered for Paul George, the LA Clippers hang up the phone in a heartbeat.
Paul George may be in his mid-30s, but the LA Clippers could easily find a franchise player in return if they were to make a trade. There is no reason why they would even pick up the phone with another championship-contending team in the same division and conference.
Furthermore, acquiring Chris Paul from the trade makes no sense. He is 38 years old, way past his prime, and a potential liability on both ends of the court. His role on the Clippers would be facilitating and providing leadership to the younger group.
What’s more, the LA Clippers traded for Bones Hyland at the deadline and recently re-signed Russell Westbrook. There would be no room for Paul in the active rotation as the point guard position would become crowded, which was seen as an issue for LA last season.
Following Paul, this trade has LA receiving Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. Both players shine in their position on the bench, but at the end of the day, they haven’t proven they can develop into star-level players. If Kuminga and Moody were to end up in LA, there is a chance they could be utilized as role players. This is not up to par with George’s market value.
The only win for the Clippers from this trade is the future draft picks they would receive from Golden State. This would be crucial in developing a foundation for the years ahead.
All in all, this proposal would not make it far from the Clippers’ perspective. It would be senseless to trade George for a minimal return when other teams would be willing to give a potential all-star in exchange.