(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Paul George left the Los Angeles Clippers for the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason for a four-year contract worth $212 million.
The Clippers have received some backlash for either not getting rid of George earlier and receiving assets in return, or simply not offering him what he wanted before he became a free agent.
Ben Maller of FOX Sports said he believes the Clippers made the mature decision to not give George a major new deal.
“Paul George was trying to make the Clippers look like the bad guys, but the Clippers were the grown-ups in the room,” Maller recently said on “The Ben Maller Show.”
@benmaller: “Paul George was trying to make the Clippers look like the bad guys, but the Clippers were the grown ups in the room.” pic.twitter.com/hbpeqIng6e
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) July 9, 2024
George has said he felt disrespected after the Clippers’ original offer during negotiations, which opened his mind up to a new destination. That destination ended up being Philadelphia.
However, Maller may be on to something here.
Perhaps the Clippers realized that George, who turned 34 years old in May, wasn’t worth the contract he wanted.
Perhaps they also realized that they didn’t have a roster good enough to seriously compete with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference.
With aging stars such as Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook and James Harden in the fold, perhaps the Clippers felt like they shouldn’t have to pay another aging star hundreds of millions of dollars just to finish middle-of-the-pack in the West.
As good as George has been throughout his career at multiple stops, L.A. may feel like it made the right decision on his contract.
Time will tell if George can find success with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers.
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