Clippers’ painful decision to end Paul George era in L.A. is a sign of the times in the NBA

The Los Angeles Clippers had to take the risk of acquiring Paul George because of what it meant for their standing in their city, in their league — and ultimately, making the painful yet pragmatic decision to hold firm against George’s salary wishes, ending the gambit.

George leaves home and heads East, to Philadelphia, to a franchise that has just as many playoff disappointments as the Clippers, if not more. The Clippers leave the table, not completely empty-handed, but no longer with the exuberance they arrived with.

George benefits, one supposes, because Joel Embiid is a bit more reliable in a playoff setting than Kawhi Leonard, even though Embiid’s playoff credit score isn’t exactly stellar. Every year, it’s something different with Embiid, most recently Bell’s Palsy in the first round. But he trucked it out there, gamely putting up a 50-ball against the Knicks in the first round, while Leonard has totaled two playoff games in the last two years because his body has failed him.

Leonard is a two-time champion and has just as many Finals MVPs, but he’s far removed from even his last individual triumph, when he dragged the Toronto Raptors to an improbable win over Golden State in the 2019 Finals.

That was the year George was a finalist for Most Valuable Player in Oklahoma City, and it looked on paper as if the Clippers were finally putting real stakes in the ground in acquiring both as a pseudo-package deal that summer.

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard joining the Clippers in 2019 changed the course of the franchise. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Giving up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks and feels painful, and while he was more than an afterthought, they couldn’t take the risk of losing Leonard in trying to convince him the young pup was better than a sure thing.

But the league changes faster than ever, quicker than ever, and while the duo’s collective output seemed to disappoint, winning three playoff series in five years, the Clippers are better for it. They are a legit NBA franchise, no longer the clown show in the Lakers’ town — in fact, moving to Inglewood, within eyesight of the…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-07-01 19:47:12

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