Free agent Paul George made headlines today with his decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. The signing has already become the primary topic of discussion among the fans and the media because of the strength it adds to the Philly roster. On the flip side, it has also kick-started a new wave of controversy because of the co-host of the Podcast P with Paul George, Dallas Rutherford. He recently took shots at the Clippers franchise for mistreating PG-13. And after a fan warned him of the consequences of bad-mouthing the franchise, he doubled down with a Kawhi Leonard reference.
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The deal that PG-13 has signed with the 76ers is worth a whopping $212 million for four years of his service. In comparison, the Clippers were not willing to offer him a max contract as several reports suggested that they were only giving him a three-year deal. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently discussed the Paul George-LA Clippers contract dispute.
Windhorst said that the Clippers were aiming for a similar deal for George as they inked with Leonard. The 33-year-old signed a three-year, $153 million extension. Windhorst unveiled that PG-13 was kept in the dark about that deal. He said, “When they signed Kawhi [Leonard] to that deal, they never told Paul George about it.”
"When they signed Kawhi [Leonard] to that deal, they never told Paul George about it." 😳 @WindhorstESPN on Paul George's negotiations with the Clippers 👀 pic.twitter.com/x9ASFP7iQ1
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 30, 2024
What’s problematic here is that after Leonard signed the deal, he talked about his teammate inking one with the franchise as well. However, by keeping him away from the details of the deal, the Clippers made their relationship with the All-Star turn sour. As a result of that, among other things, PG-13 is now set to be a Philly player, with a deal of his liking which is fit for his stature.
The conversation that led to Kawhi Leonard being referenced started with Rutherford posting, “PHILLY!!!!” after his friend signed a deal with the 76ers. Sensing that the Clippers fans won’t be happy about him celebrating the new deal, a fan responded to his post saying, “U best turn off them comments. They coming for u pause. I’m warning u.” The fan further explained his stance with, “Clippers fans who hate pg. I’m telling u. They hate u and Jackie because that podcast.”
Paul George's podcast partner isn't a fan of the Clippers not paying Paul George 👀 pic.twitter.com/IxAeoe89R6
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 1, 2024
However, these warnings didn’t serve any purpose for Rutherford as he responded to the fan’s concern by saying, “Clippers suck anyways lol.” The podcast co-host was then called out by the fan for switching up so soon on the team that PG-13’s home for five years. Without showing any remorse for what he said, Rutherford brought up the Kawhi Leonard deal with the Clippers to support his argument.
He wrote, “I do think they are crazy for not paying…him what they paid kawaii.” It’s worth noting that he has now deleted the posts from his X account.
