The New York Knicks are hesitant about acquiring Los Angeles Clippers small forward Paul George and the Portland Trail Blazers are no longer interested, according to NBA insiders Andrew Greif and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
The Knicks and Blazers are worried about George’s injury history and contract.
“Though George was an All-Star forward as recently as February, multiple league insiders this week expressed doubts about what return value the team could get for him, if the Clippers are truly motivated to deal him, and believed a top draft pick in exchange for George was not within range,” Turner and Greif wrote. “Those doubts, the sources said, centered on his history of injuries and contract status.”
“Any suitor would need to face the question the Clippers have: how much a team is willing to commit long term to George, 33, one of the league’s most talented two-way wings who has played an average of 47 games his last three seasons and is coming off of a knee strain in March that knocked him out of the playoffs,” Turner and Greif explained. “He is eligible for a contract extension for a maximum of four years and around $220 million. If one isn’t reached, he can decline his player option for the 2024-25 season and become a free agent next summer.”
George averaged 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists this past season for the Clippers while shooting 45.7% from the field, 37.1% from beyond the arc and 87.1% from the free-throw line. The Clippers won 44 games in the regular season but lost to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in five games.
The 33-year-old George didn’t play in the Suns series due to a knee injury he suffered versus the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 21.
PG-13 signed a four-year, $176 million maximum contract extension with the Clippers in December 2020. The six-time All-NBA forward will make $45.6 million next season. He has a player option worth $48.8 million for the 2024-25 season.
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