Paul George has played his last game with the Clippers.
George agreed to a four-year, $212 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski early Monday morning.
The Clippers issued a statement Sunday evening that George had informed the team that he was signing with another franchise.
The 76ers had expressed interest in signing the nine-time All-Star small forward on the first day of free agency.
George became an unrestricted free agent Saturday when he declined his $48.8 million option for the final year of his contract. He was seeking a four-year, $221 million deal with the Clippers, who refused to go beyond three years.
In the statement, the Clippers called George a “tremendous talent and an elite two-way player” for the team the past five years, but acknowledged they couldn’t come to terms.
“We negotiated for months with Paul and his representative on a contract that would make sense for both sides, and we were left far apart. The gap was significant. We understand and respect Paul’s decision to look elsewhere for his next contract. We explored an opt-in and trade scenario, but it would have left us in a similar position under the new CBA, with very little asset value to justify the restrictions.
“We will miss Paul. At the same time, we’re excited by the opportunities we’ve now been afforded, including greater flexibility under the new CBA. Kawhi is an all-NBA player, and we believe T Lue is the best coach in the league. We will field a highly competitive team this season, and moving forward, use our organizational advantages to bring top talent to Intuit Dome.”
George’s departure leaves the Clippers roughly $17.6 million under the luxury tax.
To fill the spot left by George, Derrick Jones Jr. has agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract to join the Clippers, according to The Athletic.
Jones, a 6-6 small forward, averaged 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in his lone season for the Dallas Mavericks. He played two seasons with the Chicago Bulls before signing as a free agent with the Mavericks.
While George departed, James Harden is staying.
It wasn’t the sizable contract Harden had sought from his previous team, but it was enough to make him stay. Harden reportedly agreed to a two-year, $70 million deal Sunday to return to the Clippers. The second year has a player option.
The Athletics’ Shams Charania first reported the signing.
Last fall, Harden sought a max contract from the Philadelphia 76ers but the team balked, causing friction between the future Hall of Fame point guard and Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. Unable to find a way out of the untenable situation, the Sixers traded Harden to the Clippers, where after a shaky start, he was able to fit in alongside stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said Thursday that the team wanted to retain Harden, 34.
“We hope he’s had a great experience while he’s been here,” Frank said. “He’s been great in terms of just even the off-season – coming in, working out, coming in two-a-days, getting extra work in. So, we very much want James to remain a Clipper and hope he decides to do the same.”
Once Harden found his footing and the team adjusted to his playmaking abilities, the Clippers went on a 31-8 stretch last season, creating a buzz around the league. He averaged 16.6 points, 8.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds in 72 games and the Clippers finished fourth in the Western Conference.
In the playoffs, Harden posted 21.1 points, 8.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds a game in the Clippers’ first-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks. With Leonard on the bench with a swollen knee, Harden scored 33 points in Game 4.
The Clippers will now look to build around Harden and Leonard, if George signs elsewhere. George, a free agent, is the focus of several teams, such as the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Sixers.
In other moves, the Clippers are rumored to be looking to trade Russell Westbrook, who opted into his $4 million contract Saturday, with the Denver Nuggets being the early favorite to land the point guard. Both sides reportedly have expressed interest.
Also, the Clippers signed Kevin Porter Jr. to a two-year minimum contract. Porter Jr., then with the Houston Rockets, took a plea in 2023 after he was accused of domestic assault of his girlfriend.
After the court case, the Rockets traded Porter Jr. to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who immediately cut him. He played with the Thessaloniki-based club PAOK in Greece, where he signed a $10,000 contract for the remainder of the 2023-24 season (April and May).
The plea deal allowed Porter Jr. to stay out of jail if he completed a court-ordered treatment program and stayed out of trouble.
Porter was arrested after police say his girlfriend, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, told them he strangled her and repeatedly punched her in the face, leaving a gash above the right eye and bruising.
Last season, the Clippers signed Josh Primo who underwent therapy following an investigation that determined he had exposed himself to women. He spent much of last season in the G League but played in two games for the Clippers.
