As soon as the LA Clippers' season ended in early May, rumors of Paul George's departure already began swirling. The star wing has spent the last five seasons in Los Angeles, and with a player option on his contract for next year, many have been suspecting that he could opt to seek a new home in the offseason.
The Clippers' process with Kawhi Leonard and George at the helm has not worked to this point, but they have also consistently not had health on their side. There is still a belief among some that if LA can actually get and keep their best players healthy for an entire season and postseason consecutively, the narrative could change in a hurry.
But the hopes of running this roster back were starting to dwindle with repeated reports of the Philadelphia 76ers being interested in pursuing George, and them likely having the salary room to give him the payday he desires as well. Many Clipper fans were preparing for their team to begin next season without PG, but a recent report may have them rethinking that matter.
According to Shams Charania, the Sixers have reportedly become less interested in pursuing Paul George over the last few days. The top insider stated that Philadelphia may be starting to focus their efforts elsewhere after a period of initially going after PG.
The Philadelphia 76ers' interest in pursuing Paul George has significantly waned in recent days, and the franchise is expected to be aggressive elsewhere with its salary cap flexibility and draft capital leading into next week’s NBA Draft, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 20, 2024
The 76ers are reportedly less interested in Paul George
This is of course massive news for the Clippers. Many felt that George departing was a formality at this point, especially given all the rumors popping up. But if the 76ers are pulling back their interest and turning away from Paul, there could be more incentive for him to return to LA and at least opt in to his option for next season.
Obviously, regardless of the result of this situation, the Clippers will have a lot more clarity about the direction of their offseason once PG makes his decision to either pick up or decline his option. If this report winds up being true, we could be in for a sixth consecutive season of the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George pairing in Los Angeles.
PG will have until June 29 to exercise his player option for 2024-25 If he does not, he will enter free agency where he can either restructure his deal with the Clippers or ultimately wind up elsewhere.