Clippers reportedly turned down Paul George trade for one reason

Paul George returned to Los Angeles on Wednesday night for the first time since leaving the LA Clippers over the summer. It was an evening that Clippers fans had circled on their calendars for months, and the excitement of the night certainly did not disappoint.

LA took home another win in defeating George's Philadelphia 76ers, while the former Clippers wing was held below 20 points. PG got plenty of love from fans during pregame when his tribute video was shown, but a proper amount of animosity was also displayed once he hit the court, with boos echoing through the walls of Intuit Dome when he touched the ball.

Such was natural after the last six months between the Clippers and George. PG opted to leave town after changing his contract negotiation terms, leaving the team in a difficult place going forward. He also made some choice comments on his podcast about playing for "the B-team" in Los Angeles, leading to feelings concerning George worsening among the Clippers fanbase.

Recently, ESPN NBA reporter Ohm Youngmisuk revealed some interesting new details regarding the Clippers' offseason negotiations around trying to trade Paul George. Youngmisuk reported that LA almost made a deal with the Golden State Warriors before opting to let George walk in free agency over the summer.

The Clippers wanted a young player back for George

As we know, one of the reasons the Clippers thought it best to simply let George leave during the offseason was the financial implications of keeping him around. Having already signed Kawhi Leonard to a big extension and needing to eventually get other key players on new deals as well, it ultimately made more sense to get PG off the team's payroll, given the type of money he was asking for along with the salary cap and apron implications.

So it makes sense that according to Youngmisuk, the Clippers were willing to deal George to the Warriors contingent on them sending back a young player in return. LA was reportedly open to accepting a package from Golden State that included Andrew Wiggins' large contract only if they also got back "a young player such as Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski and a pick or two."

As it turns out, the Warriors did not want to give up all that for the services of George, which led to the situation we all saw unfold over the summer, wherein PG signed with Philadelphia. Frankly, this was a smart move on the Warriors' part, as George's contract would have been a detriment to their team building ability. Golden State currently stands at a 7-1 record, so it would seem that things turned out just fine for them.

On the Clippers' side of things, it is encouraging that they would force the issue and try their best to acquire a young player on top of the established veteran talent of a player like Wiggins. Such is good management by LA's front office, as handicapping themselves with a player less talented than George while surrendering their future would have been a disaster.