We've officially concluded the first season of the post-Paul George era in Los Angeles. And for the LA Clippers, the decision to move on from their former franchise star can only be described as a massive success.
Paul George's name will forever be etched into Clippers lore, there's no question about it. In 2021, with Kawhi Leonard out of the lineup, he helped lead the organization to their first ever appearance in the Western Conference Finals. For that alone, he is forever stamped as an all-time Clipper.
Clipper Nation can acknowledge the impact Paul George had on this franchise over the course of five seasons with the team. But at the same time, they can also recognize that his departure from the organization was certainly less than pretty.
In LA's first round series with the Dallas Mavericks in 2024, PG certainly had his struggles. He averaged just 19.5 points for the series, while the Clippers fell in six games with Leonard hobbled.
Of course, following that series, the Clippers would allow George to leave Los Angeles and sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. But the way in which we got to that scenario becoming reality was a very complex and interesting one.
According to George himself, the Clippers approached him in the Fall of 2023 and offered him an extension worth $60 million over two years. George stated that, at the time, he felt that offer was a bit disrespectful. Not agreeing to sign the organization's initial offer sheet, George remained in negotiations, and the team's offer very slightly went up during the early months of the season.
The Clippers made the right move letting Paul George walk
In January of 2024, the Clippers reached an extension agreement with Kawhi Leonard worth $152 million over three years. Noticing his teammate's payday, George reportedly asked for the same deal. At the time, the Clippers were unwilling to make such an agreement.
That prompted George to bow out of negotiations for the time being, until the season was over. Then, following the Clippers' loss in the playoffs, the front office would offer George a $150 million, three-year deal. This was very similar to the one Leonard agreed to, and to the one George had requested back in that January.
This was an offer George was a lot more comfortable signing, but he also wanted the team to include a no-trade clause. This stipulation was one the Clippers were unwilling to comply with, and that led George to begin seeking out offers from other teams around the league. When he joined the Sixers, many saw it as a huge loss for LA.
The early belief among many spectators and analysts was that the Clippers were due to take a sharp drop in the standings in 2024-25. Without Paul George in the mix, LA had less star power in a crowded and talented Western Conference. The prevailing belief was that the Clippers would be a lottery team.
In the end, that presumption couldn't have been more untrue. As we all know, the Clippers secured a top five seed in the West, and took the Denver Nuggets to seven games in a wild first round series. Norman Powell's viral media day statement of George's departure being "addition by subtraction" ultimately proved to be true.
To add on top of that, Philadelphia did not exactly have a dream season this past year themselves. And so, after so many doubted LA for letting Paul George walk in free agency, the Clippers are now the ones who get the last laugh.