Paul George recently signed with the Philadelphia 76ers after spending five years with the Los Angeles Clippers. Following the trade, many believed that George’s relationship with teammate, Kawhi Leonard would also turn sour as the LA franchise showed much more intent in retaining the two-time NBA Champion. However, the two former teammates were recently seen together in a Vegas nightclub, which should now put an end to the rumors.
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X user Jamal Cristopher recently posted about how he spotted Kawhi and PG-13 at the ZoukGroupLV club. Moments later, he also posted a short clip of the former duo in the nightclub. This is news for fans who were wondering where their relationship stands, especially after PG’s contract negotiations with the Clips went poorly.
Kawh and Paul George 213 vibes still out here in vegas https://t.co/Yi96IZCYoX pic.twitter.com/paactj5L6Q
— Jamal Cristopher (@JamCristopher) July 13, 2024
On a recent episode of Podcast P with Paul George, the former Clippers star detailed everything that happened between him and the organization as they were trying to finalize a contract. The nine-time All-Star said that he was tricked by the franchise into believing that they want to keep him in LA for a long time. After he decided to agree to their $150 million, three-year offer, PG wanted them to add a no-trade clause to his contract, which the Clippers refused to add.
PG also talked about wanting to stay in LA because he wanted to continue building the team alongside Kawhi, “We came here together, we want to finish this shit together. I’ll take what Kawhi got. I was cool with that, and we were still taking less. Kawhi took less, so if Kawhi takes less, I’m not going to say, ,I want more than Kawhi.,”
To his surprise, the Clippers refused to give him the same deal that they offered to Kawhi.
On the other hand, the Klaw has received a lot of flak for opting out of the US Olympics team due to injuries. Therefore, his stint at the night club might not sit well for many fans who have been disappointed with Kawhi’s output in the past few seasons.
Apart from the criticism from fans and critics, Kawhi will now also have to deal with the departure of his running mate from LA.
Kawhi Leonard’s response to Paul George leaving LA
Even though Paul George wanted to stay with the Clippers, his demands weren’t met by the franchise. As a result, he ended up taking a $212 million deal with the 76ers in free agency. PG-13 said on his podcast that there are no hard feelings regardless of how the situation panned out.
Kawhi, on the other hand, told reporters after Team USA practice on Tuesday, “We knew what it was before the season. We knew what it was going to come down to. So, we talked the whole way through.”
Despite George’s claim that there are no hard feelings, Keyshawn Johnson believes that the franchise lowballed him. On an episode of UNDISPUTED, he said, “Imma get to opt in regardless. I want my extension. Imma get to 50 to 49 or whatever he was gonna give me on my last year anyway. I’m talking about new money… I got 212 on new money… That’s majorly disrespectful. So, you’re gonna feel a certain way… Just pay that dude man. He is worth it.”
Even if there are some unresolved issues between Paul George and the LA Clippers, fans of the franchise can seek comfort in the fact that two of their biggest stars are still on good terms.
