Between a new NBA CBA set to kick in next month and superstars like Damian Lillard having immediate desire to contend for a title, plenty of forces around the league could manufacture surprising trade outcomes. Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers is one superstar coming into focus.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Clippers have given rival teams the impression they are at least open to testing the trade value of George ahead of the NBA Draft.
“League sources tell The Stein Line that the LA Clippers have left various rival teams with the impression through their Draft Week conversations that they are, at a minimum, attempting to gauge Paul George’s trade value and, to hear some describe it, giving real consideration to the idea of disassembling the Kawhi Leonard/George tandem,” Stein wrote.
Among the teams that could realistically offer a trade return capable of acquiring George include the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets, who hold the 3rd and 4th picks in the NBA Draft.
“Lillard’s Trail Blazers at No. 3 in the draft and the star-searching Houston Rockets at No. 4, sources say, have been identified as potential trade partners if the Clippers decide that they indeed want to shake their roster up dramatically for the final season before the team moves to owner Steve Ballmer’s sparkly new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., for the 2024-25 campaign,” Stein wrote.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
According to Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer, the Blazers are shopping the 3rd pick in trade talks ahead of the NBA Draft, and George was among the ideal targets they’d be willing to move the selection to acquire.
“Portland, sources said, is targeting forwards with size at the top echelon of the league’s player hierarchy — someone like Adebayo or Clippers All-Star Paul George,” Fischer wrote.
George was limited to appearing in just 56 games last season, the most he’s appeared in a single season during his four campaigns with the Clippers. He averaged 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 34.6 minutes per game. He has not appeared in 60 or more games since 2018-19, his final season with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
It has been a significant struggle for the Clippers to finish a playoff run with both Kawhi Leonard and George available on the court. With both players fading from their prime, it’s difficult to envision injury issues improving with time.
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