The Los Angeles Clippers let Paul George walk in free agency last summer because they refused to give him the contract he wanted. He signed a four-year maximum contract that's worth $212 million with the Sixers instead. The Clippers were criticized for losing George, while the Sixers shot up offseason rankings.
One team made it to the playoffs, while the others didn't make it to the Play-In Tournament. If you had read that sentence last summer, you'd assume it was LA who missed the postseason entirely. Nope, it was Philly. The 2024-25 season was a disaster for the Sixers, and that might be a bit of an understatement.
Look at where the Clippers are a year later. The financial flexibility they created for themselves by letting George walk helped them land Brook Lopez, Bradley Beal, and John Collins this summer. And speaking of financial flexibility, the deals on Los Angeles' books (including Kawhi's) are set to end in 2027. The Clippers will have the space for a big-name star, whoever that might be.
It hurt to see George leave with LA getting nothing in return, but as more time passes, it's a move that has benefited the Clippers more than the Sixers, particularly after the news that George had knee surgery this summer.
Clippers' offseason made possible by letting Paul George walk last year
Unlike Philly, LA isn't in championship-or-bust mode. The Clippers could make some more noise next season, thanks to the depth they've added. They play in the toughest of the two conferences (by a long shot), but they did take Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets to seven games in the first round.
Los Angeles can build off its success from last season in 2025-26, without worrying about future financial constraints related to paying George.
It's unfortunate that his time ended with the Clippers the way it did, but the NBA is a business. Los Angeles didn't want to pay up, but George wanted the money. He found what he wanted in Philadelphia, but outside of money, that situation isn't going in his favor.
George, who turned 35 in May, played 74 games in his final season in LA, averaging 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Sixers fans can only dream of him having a season like that in 2025-26. That might turn out to be the last "good" season of his career, as crazy as that sounds.