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Paul George is a bit of a throwback. It’s been half-a-decade since the NBA has seen a true superstar free agent. Kyrie Irving was nominally available last offseason, but quickly re-signed, and James Harden opted in rather than exploring the market last summer. The 2022 offseason had a superstar hiding in plain sight, but none of knew what Jalen Brunson would become yet. The 2020 and 2021 offseasons were largely ruined by extensions that came before free agency. The best free agents to consider moving were players like Gordon Hayward and DeMar DeRozan, and neither got the max. You have to go back to 2019, when Irving, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, and George’s (former?) teammate Kawhi Leonard moved to find a free agent of this caliber that was genuinely available.
And he’s treating it like a proper sweepstakes. Leonard was the last star free agent to actually hold meetings with prospective suitors, which was very much the style of the 2010s before free agency was largely replaced by forced trades. There’s a degree of spectacle here that’s largely been absent in recent star pursuits. This isn’t a negotiation. It’s a chase. At least three teams will openly try to convince George that they are where he belongs. It’s possible that mystery teams attempt to join the fray in the coming days. We can’t exactly make predictions because we don’t know how well any of these presentations are going to go.
So let’s attempt to preview George’s free agency by laying out what each team has to offer. Why should George choose, or not choose, the Clippers, 76ers or Magic? And if there is going to be a mystery team here, who might it be? Here’s everything you need to know about the George sweepstakes.
Los Angeles Clippers
Nobody likes moving. Granted, it’s a bit easier when you have a nine-figure contract coming, but all things being equal, I think most of us would like to live in Los Angeles, especially those who already live in Los Angeles, and extra especially to those who grew up in Los Angeles. George went to great lengths to become a Clipper. He is, to date,…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/paul-george-free-agency-landing-spots-where-76ers-clippers-and-magic-stack-up-plus-potential-mystery-teams/
Author : Sam Quinn
Publish date : 2024-06-30 17:45:13
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