Paul George was one of the few marquee players to switch teams this offseason, signing with the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent after talks with him and the Los Angeles Clippers broke down. And while it was never rumored at the time, it’s possible that there were conversations at some point between George and the Los Angeles Lakers during that gap.
George and the Lakers have been tied together in some form for years. Dating back to George’s days as a young star with the Indiana Pacers, he requested a trade and cited the Lakers as his top preferred destination. Given the Pacers’ high asking price and the fact that George would be a free agent the following year, the Lakers opted not to trade for him and roll the dice that he would sign there the following summer.
He was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he signed an extension and ultimately was traded to the Clippers at the same time as marquee free agent signing Kawhi Leonard. But the recent changes to the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement made it tough for the Clippers to give George a long-term deal. They chose to let him walk, leading him straight to the 76ers alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
But in the interim, George’s father was hopeful — and perhaps even went as far as to reach out — that the Lakers would be a possible fallback for his son, via Podcast P:
“It was hurting. I felt like they stabbed us in the back because I thought Paul did a whole lot for the team, as far the fanbase, the fans was there. He was there. I think he gave them 110% and what he was asking, it wasn’t a whole lot. But they saw something different. I was looking at OK, well we’re gonna go next door then [to the Lakers] but they already spent too much money. I thought we’re gonna still come down in the tunnel, just gonna be wearing a different color.”
While the Lakers landing George could have been a league-altering move, it likely would not have been possible under the new CBA guidelines. The Lakers would have had to orchestrate a sign-and-trade agreement for a max salary and finished about $12 million below what their current player payroll is.
But George’s family, as lifelong Lakers fans, wanted to see if there was a way to make it happen. Instead, George will try to help the 76ers do what he could not accomplish in L.A., winning a championship.
Paul George felt he was on B-team in L.A.
After leaving the Clippers, Paul George admitted that playing for them in L.A. does not have the same shine that playing for the Lakers would have. He felt as though the Clippers were seen as a B-Team in the city, even though they were coming off of a more successful stretch than the Lakers when he arrived.
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