BREAKING NEWS: Warriors Predicted to Strike Blockbuster NBA Trade for $176 Million Star.
Rumor has it that the Golden State Warriors are in the running to sign Paul George, the standout player for the Los Angeles Clippers. George seems like a better trade candidate if he chooses to play out the last year of his four-year, $176 million contract, given that the Warriors do not have any salary room.
Sam Quinn of CBS Sports released a long statement on X ahead of NBA free agency, predicting the destinations of the league’s best players. The NBA analyst believes that George will be acquired by the Warriors from the Clippers in a blockbuster trade.
Quinn predicts that the Clippers will acquire Chris Paul, Gary Payton II, Jonathan Kuminga, and further draft picks. George joins the Warriors in the trade to play alongside Draymond Green and Stephen Curry.
Regarding the mechanics of this planned trade, there are two points worth mentioning. The deadline for Paul’s pay to be completely guaranteed was extended by the Warriors from June 28 to June 30. George would also have to choose to stay in his present contract as opposed to becoming a free agent.
Even in the event that George does choose to opt out, if he pushes for a sign-and-trade, his options may expand to include teams with cap room. But since the organization lacks salary space, Golden State would have an easier time adding George if he is not a free agency.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Golden State’s pursuit of George is making things more difficult for the organization when it comes to Klay Thompson. On June 30, the Golden State player enters NBA free agency.
In an article titled “The latest on Klay Thompson,” published on June 28, 2024, Stein stated, “As The Stein Line has been reporting since Monday, Golden State has this week prioritized the trade pursuit of the LA Clippers’ Paul George above all other business.” But after months of sporadic and now rare communication between the parties, that has only made tensions between Thompson and the club worse.
“With Chris Paul’s $30 million contract expiring and the Friday guarantee deadline attached to Paul’s deal, the Warriors have always planned to turn back to Thompson to try to sign him, but it is not yet known if the 34-year-old will be amenable to such overtures.”
Despite battling ailments recently, George was able to start 74 games for Los Angeles in the previous season. The seasoned player missed a large amount of play in each of the preceding four seasons.
Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic also revealed that Golden State is considering acquiring George. The Warriors tried to make a crazy trade for LeBron James during the previous season’s trade deadline, according to earlier reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
In an article published on June 28 under the title “NBA free agency: Paul George to the Warriors?,” Amick and Slater reported that “league sources say the Warriors, who have a sensitive free agency situation of their own with Klay Thompson, have legitimate interest in making George part of their new core alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green.” In addition, Klay Thompson’s choices and more.
“This kind of action would come from the same Joe Lacob playbook that we observed in action in the middle of February, when the owner of the Warriors led an unsuccessful attempt to acquire LeBron James before the trade deadline.”
