ESPN Insider Predicts Paul George’s $48.7M Decision Could Lead to the Warriors

Paul George may not be a Clipper for much longer. So far, he has failed to opt into his $48.7 million player option, which has raised all the rumors in the world about his future. Amidst this, Bobby Marks was asked about his opinion on how his situation would shake out. To this, the NBA insider gave a response that seemed to be rather heavily in the Golden State Warriors’ favor.

On SportsCenter, Marks first revealed that it was George who controls free agency at the moment. With a slew of other moves, such as DeMar DeRozan to the Clippers waiting to happen, if the 34-year-old does decide to leave LA, it could change the whole landscape of the NBA.

The insider said that the Philadelphia 76ers are considered contenders if PG decides to test free agency. However, should he decide to accept his player option for a sign-and-trade, the Golden State Warriors are the likeliest ones to bag him this offseason.

“If he [Paul George] becomes a free agent, we’re looking at potentially teams like Philadelphia, who have cap space. They can offer him a four year, $212 million contract… Keep an eye on if Paul George opts into his contract. Opting in to his contract kinda opens up the playing field, certainly for a team like Golden State to make a run at him”

Especially given the state they are in at the moment, the Golden State Warriors would be delighted to acquire Paul George’s services.

Whether Klay Thompson signs for a low-ball contract or leaves, the franchise will have the money to sign a difference maker on their roster. However, while most agree that George would fit perfectly into this role, the problem then becomes how many assets the team would have to give up to make this happen.

With a rebuild scheduled to be sometime within the next five years, would it be the best idea for the team to lose possession of their assets? Could bright young players such as Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody be put on the trade block to make this move happen?

The closer this deal is looked at, the more questionable it starts to seem. But, while Stephen A. Smith would agree with this notion, he seems to have a problem with a very different aspect of this whole ordeal

Stephen A. Smith believes Paul George wouldn’t be a great fit for the Warriors’ system

While most in the NBA community have been salivating at the thought of Paul George in a Warriors jersey, Stephen A. Smith has had very different thoughts.

The ESPN analyst acknowledged that Paul George can do everything that would be required of him by the Warriors. However, he believes that the Clippers star is capable of a lot more, and may not be happy with his limited role with the franchise.

“I would just tell you, in that system, the way that they play, knowing that Steph Curry will be his teammate. Paul George can ball and he can hit a three, he can get to the basket, he’s a big-time defender as well… I just don’t view him as a catch and shoot guy…”

However, as the Warriors did with Kevin Durant, it’s clear that they know how to fit someone of George’s caliber within their system. So, it really only comes down to one simple question – Is Golden State willing to give up its future for one last dance with Stephen Curry?

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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