Kawhi Leonard Doesn’t Have Issue with Paul George After Star Left Clippers for 76ers

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVJuly 8, 2024

Mercedes Oliver/NBAE via Getty Images

Kawhi Leonard, at least publicly, doesn’t hold any ill will toward Paul George after the latter departed for the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this offseason.

According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Leonard initially declined to answer any questions about George while speaking to reporters at Team USA’s training camp on Sunday, though he “later clarified that he doesn’t have a problem with George or his decision, but that he was simply trying to keep the focus on Team USA.”

George, 34, signed a four-year, $211.5 million max extension with the Sixers this offseason, pairing with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to form a new big three in Philadelphia.

The Clippers reportedly were only willing to offer George a contract similar to the three-year, $149.5 million extension they gave Leonard in January, hoping to both remain below the second apron and not hamstring themselves to a massive contract well into George’s late 30s if he didn’t age well.

The Clippers ostensibly were hoping that George liked playing near his hometown in Southern California and would take the deal. But George had a contender willing to give him that fourth year on a max deal in the Sixers, one that arguably gives him a better shot at the title than a core group in L.A. led by the talented but oft-injured Leonard and fading point guard James Harden.

The Clippers may have also been banking on Leonard and George’s relationship—the two orchestrated the move to team up on the Clippers years ago—to keep George in Los Angeles. As ESPN’s Romana Shelburne reported, “Leonard and George had talked generally about signing new contracts with the team and extending their partnership. But they’d never talked specifics, sources said, like taking a year and approximately $70 million less than they were eligible to receive.”

Shelburne added that the Clippers offered George less guaranteed money than Leonard in negotiations, hoping to give themselves some financial flexibility to make other moves around the roster.

That was clearly a non-starter for George. The divorce seems unlikely to lead to hard feelings between the pair, however, with Shelburne noting that “George and Leonard remained close throughout the season. At one point this week, George even called Leonard to tell him he was looking at other teams, sources said.”

The duo was never able to bring a championship to the Clippers, despite huge expectations. In Philly, George will have one last shot to finally raise a banner.