NBA Rumors: ‘Belief’ Is Paul George Signs Clippers Contract Amid 76ers, Knicks Buzz

Paul George is reportedly expected to remain with the Los Angeles Clippers despite the two sides failing to reach a long-term contract extension before the end of the 2023-24 season.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium said on Up & Adams (50:45 mark) that people around the NBA “have the belief” George wants to remain in Los Angeles.

The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers have been rumored to have George on their radar if he tests free-agent waters.

The Clippers signed Kawhi Leonard to a three-year, $153 million contract extension in January, and most assumed George’s new deal would come soon after. Instead, the two sides went into protracted negotiations that stalled and left the Clippers in danger of losing the All-Star guard.

George, a Los Angeles native, said he hadn’t considered his future when speaking to reporters following the Clippers’ first-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

“I’m not even focused on that yet,” George told reporters. “I got a lot to kind of digest myself, so I haven’t even got to that yet. Look forward to kind of going back, just letting everything kind of decompress, talk to my family, be around family support and then address the next step. … Yeah, it’s just not where I’m there. I’m not there yet.”

The Sixers will be armed with enough cap space to sign George outright to a max contract, while the Knicks would need to find a sign-and-trade agreement. New York could offer All-Star forward Julius Randle as part of a package.

Randle missed the entirety of the Knicks’ run in the 2024 postseason, potentially offering Tom Thibodeau and Co. a window into what life could look like without him. Adding George, a superstar wing who could help take the load off Jalen Brunson, could be enticing.

Still, it feels unlikely that the Clippers would allow George to walk without offering him a full max contract. Owner Steve Ballmer has not been shy about paying exorbitant luxury tax fees in the past, and losing George would almost certainly reset the timer on the Clippers winning their first title.

James Harden will also be a free agent this summer and has similar leverage over the Clippers in negotiations.