The Los Angeles Clippers are staring down the barrel of an incredibly important offseason of work. After another year where their partnership of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George failed to produce a championship, there are some real questions as to whether or not George’s time with the team could be over.
George opted out of his contract on Saturday, and while he could still return to the Clippers, he is now a free agent who is expected to have a handful of teams pursuing him. Prior to his decision to opt out of his deal, one team that was looking to potentially trade for him was the Golden State Warriors (although that no longer is a possibility for them.) Regardless, a wild take from Stephen A. Smith emerged on why the Warriors would not be a good fit for him, and fans quickly blasted him on social media for his George slander.
"I don't view [Paul George] as a catch and shoot guy… He's better suited for the Clippers. He's better suited for Philadelphia."
Stephen A Smith on why Paul George wouldn't fit with the Warriors 👀
(via @FirstTake)pic.twitter.com/KPXTb7yysF
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 27, 2024
Smh lol
— ant (@justize28) June 27, 2024
The man is a casual. Lol
— Marcos Curet (@mrcuret) June 27, 2024
Paul George shot 45.1% in 2024 on catch and shoot threes btw…
— j4ck🐝 (@j4ckb__) June 27, 2024
Lmao but he was in New York it wouldn’t be problem tho 🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️
— Rawyoungin_23 (@justina51216550) June 27, 2024
Paul George’s time with the Clippers could be coming to an end
This is a pretty eye-opening take from Smith, largely because George is coming off one of the best shooting seasons of his career with the Clippers. George shot 47.1 percent from the floor and 41.3 percent from behind the arc, with both figures being career-highs for him. On paper, he is a perfect floor-spacing option for many of the teams that are showing interest in him.
With George hitting free agency now, though, this take is largely irrelevant, because the Warriors don’t have the cap space needed to go out and sign him. Their only hope was that he would opt into his deal, as that would have allowed them the opportunity to go out and trade for him. Now, only a few teams with cap space available will have a true shot at signing George.
The three teams that George has narrowed his list down to appears to be the Clippers, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Orlando Magic. George could opt to run it back with Leonard and company in Los Angeles, he could team up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in Philly, or he could join a young core led by Paolo Banchero in Orlando. Where the star scorer lands is arguably the biggest storyline during this free agency.
Regardless of where George lands, he will play a big role for his team, as he remains one of the premier two-way wings in the game today. The Clippers are going to be heavily incentivized to hang onto him, but if he doesn’t think he can win with them anymore, the Sixers and Magic are intriguing alternative options for him. Smith doesn’t seem to be all that high on George’s skills right now, but as these fans pointed out, he’s still a skilled player, and how his free agency ends up playing out could have massive repercussions across the league.
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