The free agency drama is set to kick in on Sunday, 30th June at 6 PM ET. As a prelude to that, the rumors around several players possibly entering the market have shot up to a new high. One of the biggest names in the whole saga is Paul George, who is, interestingly, also playing the puppet master over some other star players and their options before the 2024-25 season. Brian Windhorst recently broke down how PG-13 is tied to the Warriors pushing back Chris Paul’s contract deadline and what the Clippers star’s own chances are of landing elsewhere in the next few days.
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Windhorst said that George is “the biggest domino” in this equation and his decision will end up affecting a lot of other players. The 46-year-old revealed on the recent episode of Get Up, that the Clippers star has three main options at the moment, and he can choose any of them as per his liking.
Windy said, “He [PG] can re-sign with the Clippers as early as today if he wants to. He can opt into his contract for next year for about $48 million, doing so almost certainly would mean he has a team he wants to be traded to where he would later sign an extension.”
The third option available for PG-13 is for him to become an unrestricted free agent on Sunday evening and leave the Clippers. All of these scenarios will have an effect on players like Chris Paul, James Harden and others.
Windhorst said that this is due to the number of teams that are showing interest in signing him. Paul has a $30 million option with the Warriors which has today’s deadline. As per Windhorst, the Warriors have asked CP3 to push the deadline further as part of their plan.
Windy added the reason why the Dubs have done that, “Chris Paul could potentially be used in a trade for Paul George if he decides he’d like to opt in and force a trade to the Warriors.”
Windhorst said that this also affects Klay Thompson’s future despite the fact that he is showing interest in staying with the Warriors. So, a lot of people are dependent on what PG-13 will decide for himself in the coming days.
Mike Dunleavy talks about Chris Paul’s $30 million option
It must be a bad feeling for players like CP3 and Klay Thompson to know that their future will be based on another player’s decision. This situation, however, is worse for Chris Paul because not only is he standing on the verge of being traded if PG-13 decides to join the Warriors, but he is also being made to wait for his guaranteed $30 million from the Golden State franchise.
During a recent media interaction, GM Mike Dunleavy was asked about this situation.
Mike Dunleavy said “it’s possible” the Warriors and Chris Paul push back his $30 million guarantee date. It is tomorrow.
“We’ve got another 24 hours” pic.twitter.com/AulT2XgLQV
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 28, 2024
He said, “We’ve got 24 hours.” When asked if there is a chance of the deadline being pushed back for CP3, he said, “Yeah, it’s possible.”
As per the recent report by Windhorst, it seems like the Warriors have convinced the 39-year-old to push back the deadline and wait for the decision to be made by Paul George.
