Paul George Likely To Opt In And Request Trade If Changing Teams

Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up, Brian Windhorst said Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers could be headed for a breakup. The Clippers haven’t budged off their offer to George, and the All-Star wing doesn’t seem inclined to accept it.

Windhorst said that the focus shouldn’t just be on cap space teams for George as a free agent. Instead, he said it’s more likely that George will opt in and request a trade, if he’s leaving the Clippers this offseason. That would increase the pool of teams that could acquire the veteran wing, beyond just the handful of cap space teams this summer. The Philadelphia 76ers, who have cap space, are believed to be moving onto options beyond George. The New York Knicks could be a team with the assets to pull off a trade for George.

The Clippers also reportedly don’t believe that George wants to leave Los Angeles. They are believed to have offered a similar deal to the three-year, below-max extension worth $152 million over three seasons that Kawhi Leonard signed with the team during last season.

George is represented by Aaron Mintz of CAA.