Fresh off signing a four-year, $212 million maximum contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, Paul George is shedding light on how he nearly became a Golden State Warrior.
On the latest episode of his Podcast P show, George revealed a sign-and-trade deal with Golden State was "close to being done," adding that he was "looking forward" to joining Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, the latter of which subsequently signed with the Dallas Mavericks after the George deal fell through.
"That was a real thing that was close to being done," George shared. "That deal was close to being done from what I was being told on the situation, they was expressing just how much they wanted me there, how I could have fit in perfectly with Draymond [Green], Steph [Curry]. Klay [Thompson] probably would've stayed."
George continued, "They didn't know how or what package was going to be there to trade for me…[Kevon] Looney was going to be there and so it was very intriguing and it was still an opportunity to stay close to home, stay on the West Coast, and it was a win-win. I think Steph is a unicorn, one of one player, and Joel's a unicorn…So it was kind of like a good situation to be in the middle of, but ultimately the deal didn't go through. I think Clippers didn't want a certain trade deal that Warriors were willing to give and yeah, it just didn't happen but it was close. It'd been dope, man. I was looking forward to it, if it happened."
Earlier this month, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that the Warriors "engaged in a spirited effort" to acquire George in a trade before the deadline to accept or decline his $48.8 million player option for the 2024-25 season.
Golden State offered the Clippers "multiple" trade packages centered around expiring contracts, young players and an unprotected 2027 first-round pick. However, the Clippers ultimately didn't pull the trigger, leading to George signing with the Sixers days later.
Philadelphia will now enter the 2024-25 season equipped with a three-headed monster featuring Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George.
