Report: Warriors believed they were ‘on the verge’ of landing Paul George from Clippers

The Golden State Warriors attempted to work out a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers for star Paul George, but Los Angeles never agreed to a version of the trade, according to The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami.

A trade to Golden State would have required George to opt into his deal for the 2024-25 season, but the veteran declined that option on Saturday. According to Kawakami, the Warriors were not only willing to offer George a max extension if they traded for him, but they had also gotten Stephen Curry and Draymond Green to sign off on a potential deal.

“This came after very serious negotiations among the Warriors, George and the Clippers all the way through Saturday afternoon’s deadline for George’s contract decision and after the Warriors believed — several times — that they were on the verge of landing the 34-year-old small forward, team sources said,” Kawakami wrote.

“The Warriors had agreed to give George a max, four-year extension upon arrival. They believed they had proposed several variations of a trade that the Clippers could and would accept. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were 100 percent on board. George gave strong indications he wanted to join the Warriors. But the Clippers never agreed to any version of a trade, and now George is a free agent and essentially beyond the Warriors’ reach.”

Adding George could have given Golden State a chance to extend its title window around Curry and Green after the team failed to make the playoffs last season.

The Warriors did win a title in the 2021-22 season, but they have won just one playoff series since, and they are in danger of losing sharpshooter Klay Thompson in free agency this offseason.

George would have been a great fit next to Curry, as he’s another high-volume scorer that also can defend at a high level on the wing.

After George opted out, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that he’ll take free agent meetings with the Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic.

During the 2023-24 season, George averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point range.

The nine-time All-Star has spent several seasons playing alongside Kawhi Leonard in Los Angeles, but the duo has yet to reach an NBA Finals together.

George appears to be seeking a max contract in the offseason, as it could be one of the final deals of his NBA career. The veteran is 34 years old and just completed his 14th season in the NBA.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Clippers can come up with an offer that George is willing to take this offseason or if he’ll be in a new uniform when the 2024-25 campaign kicks off.