Paul George’s contract talks with Clippers had ‘significant’ gap in NBA free agency

The Clippers and Paul George were never close to an agreement, Los Angeles said in a statement it released Sunday night. 

After word leaked that George was headed elsewhere, the Clippers released a long statement about what transpired. 

“We traded a lot to pair Paul and Kawhi [Leonard] ]and in exchange we had five seasons of contention,” the statement read in part. “Even though we fell short of our ultimate objective, we appreciate the chances we had.”

Also in the statement, the Clippers said “the [negotiating] gap was significant.”

They said they wanted to retain both George and James Harden on contracts that would continue to allow them to build a contender.

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The 76ers are believed to be the heavy favorite to land George, according to ESPN.

Harden reportedly agreed to a two-year deal worth $70 million. 

The Clippers could have offered the 34-year-old George as much as a four-year, $221 million maximum contract, but they were reportedly reluctant to give him a fourth year.