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Clippers president addresses future of James Harden, Paul George ahead of free agency
The Los Angeles Clippers are entering a free agency period filled with very big and potentially concerning question marks. While they inked star Kawhi Leonard to a three-year contract extension during the 2023-24 NBA season, the expectation was that Paul George's new deal would come soon after. And after seeing the fit of James Harden with the star duo, the chances of him remaining in Los Angeles also appeared likely.
However, as July 30, the start of NBA free agency, creeps closer, the future of George and Harden seems to get cloudier by the day. Rumors have swirled about George's contract and the belief that the franchise and its 34-year-old star aren't seeing eye-to-eye. This could lead to George becoming one of the hottest names on the free-agent market.
But what about Harden?
Very little has been said about the future of Harden, who the Clippers acquired via trade from the Philadelphia 76ers early last season. That is until Clippers president Lawrence Frank spoke following the 2024 NBA Draft and provided an update on contract talks with Harden, as ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk revealed.
According to Youngmisuk, Frank called the talks between the franchise and Harden very productive and was candid about the team's desire to keep the 34-year-old in a Clippers uniform.
“We very much want James to remain a Clipper and hope he does the same," Frank said.
Frank also spoke about negotiations with George, as ESPN and Youngmisuk also detailed, but the comments didn't seem quite as optimistic. Frank said the Clippers "love" and "want to retain" George, but will respect his decision if he opts out.
“We hope his decision is to stay here," Frank said. "But also respect if his decision is to opt out. We’ll see how things play out.”
Although Frank stated that the two sides have had ongoing contract talks, George's future outlook appears very much up in the air. Especially considering that multiple teams will likely be willing to pay George a max contract should he hit free agency.
More must-reads:
- Clippers would be wise to turn to DeMar DeRozan as a Paul George replacement
- Insider: Warriors prepared to offer Paul George max contract
- The 'Current NBA nicknames' quiz
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NBA Insider: Russell Westbrook, Jonathan Kuminga Could Join New Team Together
The potential landing spots for both nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook and Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga are perhaps the most pressing questions remaining this offseason. According to the latest report from two Sacramento Kings insiders, the pair could wind up joining forces in Sacramento this upcoming season. On Tuesday's edition of "The Dave Carmichael Show" on Sactown 1140am, Carmichael and co-host Jason Ross went as far as suggesting that Westbrook and Kuminga will likely have to be a package deal if Sacramento were to pursue either player. Kuminga and Westbrook to the Kings? Dave: "We do know this for the Westbrook thing to happen, the Kuminga thing would almost definitely have to happen. Ross: "I mean, so let's say Kuminga doesn't, then is that an off the table thing for us? Because, I mean you're already crowded in the backcourt, you wouldn't have lost a guard and now you'd be adding another one." Dave: "I think it is. I do. I think it is. Unless they found another deal. Is it, this is a deal we know about." Previous reports this weekend indicated that the Kings viewed a possible haul of Westbrook and Kuminga as a dream offseason. Golden State may have thrown a wrench in Sacramento's plans for Kuminga, however, as the team has reportedly shut down all sign-and-trade talks surrounding the 22-year-old forward and will instead look to keep him on the roster for next season. ESPN's Marc Stein reported last week that Kuminga preferred a move to Sacramento opposed to a return to Golden State after the Kings promised him a spot in the starting lineup. Kuminga saw a diminished role down the stretch of last season, largely due to a highly publicized mismatch between himself and coach Steve Kerr. "He wants to go," Stein said. "And the Kings are offering a starting spot. Power forward, next to Keegan Murray, next to Sabonis. He's talked on a Zoom call with Scott Perry, as you know, the GM, BJ Armstrong, the assistant GM, and also with their head coach. So he's in. He wants to go there. While Kuminga clearly desires an exit from Golden State, Stein also indicated that the Warriors aren't exactly jumping at the compensation offered by either Sacramento or Phoenix, the other frontrunner in the Kuminga sweepstakes. "But I think that first (round pick), the Warriors don't like the first. And then the Suns, I heard they're like offering Royce O'Neal in four seconds and Nick Richards. That's just not pretty enough."
Kolby Aipa, Surf Royalty, Tragically Dies in E-Bike Accident
On Saturday night, surf royalty heir Kolby Aipa was involved in a tragic accident in Huntington Beach, CA. The 20-year-old grandson of iconic and innovative Hawaiian surfboard shaper, Ben Aipa, was put on life support; on Tuesday, he passed away. According to reports, Aipa was towing behind a car of friends on his e-bike when the accident happened. He was struck by the same vehicle that was towing him. Since the news of his untimely passing, an outpouring of mourning from the surf community – from Hawaii to Huntington Beach – has been flooding in. “This is the hardest post we will ever make,” began the tribute from the official Aipa Surf Company account. “We are completely heartbroken. We wanted to thank all the visitors, supporters, food deliveries, donations, flowers, cards, countless stories and photos his friends have shared with us, Drs and nurses that have taken care of our sweet boy. The HB community and everyone around the world have touched our hearts in an unimaginable way. Thank you for loving our boy.” Following in his strong surfing lineage, Kolby was an up-and-coming surfer himself. He was sponsored by the clothing brand AVVA, Dakine, Cobian footwear, and others. He was a member of the Huntington Beach Board Riders club. The Aipa Surf Co. post announcing his passing continued, speaking to Kolby as a human: “Kolby always had a way with touching the lives of whoever he met. His acts of kindness and caring was his gift of Aloha to friends and strangers alike. To everyone that reads this... pass his Aloha on. So, how Kolby treated you, treat others in that same way...In this you are continuing his legacy of Aloha. And you too can be like Kolby.” A memorial paddle-out for Kolby is being planned; stay tuned for more information. Rest in peace, Kolby Aipa. To donate to the GoFundMe, see here.
Vikings offense has sizable hole following first-round WR's NFL ruling
The Minnesota Vikings will be without one of their top wide receivers for the start of the regular season. On Tuesday, wideout Jordan Addison was suspended without pay for the season's first three games after pleading no contest earlier this offseason to a "wet reckless" charge. He was initially charged with DUI on July 12, 2024 and pleaded not guilty to those counts on Dec. 3, 2024. In July 2023, he was also cited for speeding a reckless driving when going 140 mph in a 55 mph zone. During his first two seasons, Addison, a 2023 first-round pick (No. 23 overall), has 133 receptions, 1,786 receiving yards (13.4 yards per reception) and 19 touchdowns. During that span, only Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans and Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown have more receiving touchdowns. His absence is a blow to the Vikings offense, entering its first season with 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy as the starting quarterback. While McCarthy will still have arguably the NFL's best wide receiver, Justin Jefferson, to throw to during the season's first three weeks, Addison's suspension severely compromises the team's depth. Jalen Nailor, a 2022 sixth-rounder, should be in line for an increase in playing time. Last season, he played a career-high 51 percent of his available offensive snaps, via Pro Football Reference. Offseason free-agent signings Rondale Moore and Tim Jones, 2025 third-round pick Tai Felton and undrafted free agents Lucky Jackson and Silas Bolden could also be forced into more prominent roles. Last season, Moore missed the entire year after suffering a training-camp knee injury with the Atlanta Falcons, while Jones had just three receptions on five targets for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Felton and Bolden are rookies and might not be ready for heavy workloads, while Jackson is possibly having the best training camp of the group, recently making impressive plays on back-to-back days. Regardless of who takes Addison's snaps, the Vikings offense won't be at full strength to begin the season. Opponents will be able to focus their attention on Jefferson with double-teams and force Minnesota's unproven secondary and tertiary options to beat them. It's not an ideal set of circumstances for McCarthy as he preps for his regular-season debut, but the Vikings have no other choice than to make it work.
Padres already demoting one of their trade-deadline acquisitions
The Padres announced they’ve optioned JP Sears to Triple-A El Paso. They recalled reliever Sean Reynolds and will go with a nine-man bullpen in the short term. Sears will spend at least 15 days in the minors unless he’s brought up to replace a player going on the injured list. San Diego acquired Sears alongside Mason Miller in last week’s massive deadline deal. The 29-year-old southpaw made his team debut Monday night. He allowed five runs in as many innings on 10 hits and a walk against the Diamondbacks. Sears took the loss in a 6-2 defeat. He’d carried a 4.95 earned run average over 22 starts with the A’s. Monday's performance pushed his ERA to 5.12 across 116 innings. It’s a bottom-10 mark among pitchers to log at least 100 frames. Sears had the highest home run rate among that group, offsetting his nearly league average 20.3% strikeout rate and solid 6% walk percentage. This is the first time in two-and-a-half years that Sears heads to the minors. He broke camp with the A’s in 2023 and has been in the majors since then. Sears has also avoided the injured list for that entire time. As a result, he’s tied for fifth in MLB with 87 starts since the beginning of the ’23 season. The durability is the big selling point, as his production (4.62 ERA/4.56 SIERA) over that stretch is that of a fifth or sixth starter. The demotion shouldn’t have any impact on Sears’ service trajectory. He has already surpassed the three-year mark and will qualify for arbitration next winter. He’s under team control for three seasons beyond this one. While he’ll probably be back up at some point this year, it may require an injury elsewhere in the rotation. San Diego optioned Randy Vásquez over the weekend. They have a four-man rotation of Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish and deadline acquisition Nestor Cortes. Darvish and Cortes will get the ball for the next two outings. San Diego is off Thursday and could turn back to Pivetta and Cease on extra rest for their first two games of the weekend series against the Red Sox. That’d point to the series finale on August 10 as Michael King’s return date. King threw 61 pitches in what is expected to be his final rehab start on Sunday, via the MLB.com injury tracker. He’d be on six days rest for his first MLB appearance since he went on the injured list in late May with a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder.
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