Warriors willing to offer Paul George 4-year max contract after trade

The first major domino of the 2024 NBA offseason has fallen, with Mikal Bridges heading to the New York Knicks in exchange for a boatload of first-round picks. Now it looks like the next to fall will be Paul George’s domino. George and the Los Angeles Clippers have been at an impasse in contract negotiations for about a year, paving the way for other teams, like the Golden State Warriors, to acquire him.

It’s still unclear what the Warriors will be forced to give up in exchange for Paul George. But in the event they complete a trade with the Clippers for the 34-year-old forward, they could “potentially” give him the four-year deal he’s seeking, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

“Several teams are willing to trade for him and offer him the four-year max contract that the Clippers are not currently offering him,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s Get Up Wednesday morning. “He wants maximum outs and there are a number of teams, I’m told, who are willing to give that to him, who are willing to trade for him. One of those teams is potentially down the coast in Golden State.

Paul George and the Clippers, according to ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel, “have been far apart in contract negotiations.” George is seeking a four-year deal, while the Clippers reportedly only offered a three-year deal similar to the one Kawhi Leonard signed. This difference in contract desires has made a possible opt-in and trade more likely with each passing day, with the Warriors one of the teams interested in the nine-time All-Star. And it looks like they’re going to walk the talk.

Any team that trades for George knows they will have to sign him to a contract extension to make the trade worth it. While Klay Thompson appears likely to leave the Warriors amid contract negotiation frustrations, according to Siegel, George would fit in well as an elite spacer, premier perimeter defender and secondary shot creator to put alongside by Stephen Curry as Golden State looks to make one last push for a title before their competing window closes for good.

At 34 years old, any investment in George will carry considerable risk. But George averaged 23/5/4 last season on 47/41/91 splits, and he won’t have to do the heavy lifting with the Warriors, fitting in well as a second option. he elite who will thrive in the space Curry creates for him – tipping the risk/reward calculus in favor of the Dubs. But of course, it will all depend on what they give up in a trade.

The Warriors’ last hurray?

Klay Thompson may already have one foot in free agency, which means the end of the Warriors dynasty as we know it. But that doesn’t mean the Dubs are just going to sit there and let the final years of Stephen Curry’s career go to waste. Trading for Paul George signals their intent to compete… but what will they be willing to give up in return?

With the Clippers having virtually no leverage, the Warriors may be hoping to acquire him at a discounted price. Alas, the swap of the Mikal decks recalibrated the commercial values ​​of the two-way wings. Bridges is only 28 years old, which makes him six years younger than George. But Bridges has never made an All-Star team and he struggled as the Brooklyn Nets’ top option last season.

So, with that said, Paul George is going to net the Clippers a solid trade return even though he is in the final year of his contract, similar to how he got the Indiana Pacers Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo in 2017.

The Warriors will fight hard to keep Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski as well as Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis, opting instead to trade picks. The good news is that the Dubs have all but 2030 first-round picks, meaning the draft route could be the way to go.

But of course, the Clippers will urge the Dubs to give them one of their best young players to go along with the contracts of Andrew Wiggins and Chris Paul. The negotiations between the two teams should be very interesting to watch unfold. But given the Warriors’ willingness to give George the contract he wants, the pressure is on for the Clippers to make a decision.