The Los Angeles Clippers refused to give Paul George either a no-trade clause or a four-year max deal and he responded by leaving the franchise to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. The decisions was a major reversal for how the Clippers have operated under Steve Ballmer. While the Clippers were willing to continue with George and Kawhi Leonard for another three seasons, they were not prepared to do so for four years.
“I don’t know when the blueprint changed,” Ballmer told ESPN. “The truth of the matter is our situation was changing just because the guys are getting older anyway. So the way to think about it with Paul or without Paul, it started to morph on us.”
The Clippers wanted George to re-sign, but would only offer $150 million over three seasons.
“We wanted Paul back,” Ballmer said. “We made him a big offer. We really wanted him here. We just wanted to not put ourselves in a position where we can’t consistently be good. We offered them the max for three years and Philly offered them the max for four years. OK, I get it. But in terms of our trajectory and staying really good, it was really going to be an issue for us.
“The truth is, with Paul not coming back, we were able to upgrade our team. We don’t [sign] Derrick Jones Jr. if Paul comes back. We don’t [sign] Kris Dunn, [or have] our new defensive identity. Might not have [signed] Kevin Porter Jr., Nico [Batum]. … You could say, well, they’re not Paul George. No, they’re not Paul George.”
Lawrence Frank also explained the Clippers’ position where they would have faced being a second apron team for multiple seasons had they re-signed George.
“Once your pick becomes frozen, [and] if you’re in the second apron for multiple years, you’re really f—ed,” Frank told ESPN. “You’re in a situation where you never have cap space and you never have your midlevel exception and you’re just strictly dealing with minimums and trades. Our goal is we want to be a sustainable contender.”