Los Angeles Clippers

Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook exercised his $4 million player option for the 2024-25 season on Saturday, avoiding free agency in the process.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the move.

However, Law Murray and Jenna West of The Athletic reported "it is still undetermined whether Westbrook will be on the team's 2024-25 roster."

Westbrook joined the Clippers during the 2022-23 season and re-signed last offseason on a below-market deal. He averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game last season.

Expected to serve as the Clippers' starting point guard when he initially signed the contract, Westbrook was moved to the bench after the team acquired James Harden.

"Just going out and doing whatever is best for our team to be able to win games, and that's it," Westbrook said. "The ultimate goal is to win games. That's all I can do. Go out and compete and make sure we try to win games."

The Clippers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs as injuries once again derailed their postseason.

Harden and Paul George (who has a $48.8 million player option that must be decided on by the end of Saturday) are set for free agency this summer, so the franchise feels in a state of flux. Kawhi Leonard re-signed to a three-year extension, but the Clippers were not able to reach long-term deals with two of their other future Hall of Famers.

George's status remains the biggest dilemma for the Clippers going into free agency. He is reportedly seeking a four-year max deal, but the team has so far been unwilling to offer him that.

Westbrook seemingly returning on a $4 million salary is nothing short of a boon for the Clippers and their future luxury tax payments.

As the Los Angeles Clippers seem focused on their finances for the first time during Steve Ballmer's tenure as governor, Brandon Boston Jr.'s time with the club could come to an end after three seasons.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Boston will become an unrestricted free agent with the Clippers opting not to tender him a qualifying offer.

The more pressing matter for the Clippers right now is finding a resolution to the Paul George situation. He has to decide by the end of Saturday whether or not to opt in to his $48.8 million salary for next season.

Extension talks between George and the Clippers don't appear to have made much progress. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported this week on Get Up that George wants a full four-year max, but Los Angeles has been offering three years at slightly less than a max salary.

While exact terms of the Clippers' offer to George aren't known, it sounds similar to the three-year, $153 million deal Kawhi Leonard signed with the club in January. He could have signed a four-year contract worth up to $223 million.

Along with the uncertainty around George's status with the Clippers, James Harden is set to become a free agent.

Per ESPN's Bobby Marks, the Clippers would likely push their payroll over $200 million, well above the $189.6 million threshold for the second apron, if they sign both George and Harden to new deals.

If both players were to leave, the Clippers would get out of the tax and have the $12.95 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception and $4.7 million bi-annual exception available.

Boston hasn't been a significant part of head coach Tyronn Lue's rotation over the past three seasons. The 22-year-old was the No. 51 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, who traded his draft rights to Los Angeles.

In 105 games with the Clippers, Boston has averaged 6.2 points on 39.6 percent shooting and 1.8 rebounds per contest. He scored a career-high 27 points in a 114-111 win over the Boston Celtics as a rookie on Dec. 8, 2021.

The Golden State Warriors have "prioritized" pursuing Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George and other targets over negotiating a new deal with Warriors veteran Klay Thompson, sources tell NBA insider Marc Stein.

Stein reports that the trade pursuits have been "only widening the gulf between the sides" of the Thompson negotiation.

George has until Saturday to exercise a $48.8 million player option with the Clippers.

Thompson, who has played 11 seasons for the Warriors, is set to hit free agency for the second time in his career if he and Golden State do not agree to a new deal by Sunday.

The Athletic's Sam Amick and Anthony Slater also reported Friday that the Warriors "have legitimate interest in making George part of their new core alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green."

The Warriors want to make another title run with Curry, and George "appears to be the most plausible star player left in play" amid reports that Jimmy Butler will return for another season with the Miami Heat, Amick and Slater wrote.

If the Warriors want to make a sign-and trade agreement to acquire George, however, the deal could be costly.

Amick and Slater reported that the Denver Nuggets tried to arrange a similar trade and were faced with the prospect of giving George a four-year max contract while also giving up "Michael Porter Jr., Zeke Nnaji and a significant amount of draft capital."

If the Warriors believe George is the missing piece that could help Curry and Green lead the team on a title run, a price that steep could be worth it.

Making that deal would likely mean closing the door on the possibility of Thompson returning, however.

The Warriors are reportedly willing to offer George the max deal, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst. With Warriors owner Joe Lacob saying in February that the team would like to avoid the luxury tax if possible, it seems impossible that the team would both be able to acquire George and re-sign Thompson despite head coach Steve Kerr's support of the veteran returning to San Francisco.

There was a time when P.J. Tucker wanted to be traded away from the Los Angeles Clippers, but he is staying put for the 2024-25 season.

The forward exercised the $11.5 million player option on his contract for the upcoming campaign on Friday, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Los Angeles acquired Tucker from the Philadelphia 76ers early last season as part of the deal that also sent James Harden to the Clippers. Harden was the headliner, but Tucker quickly fell out of the team's rotation.

It reached a point that he told ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk in February he was "actively trying to get traded." The NBA fined him $75,000 as a result of those public comments.

Tucker also expressed frustration to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints in February, and the Clippers even sent him away from the team before the All-Star break.

However, he eventually returned to the team and played a role down the stretch of the regular season. In all, he made 28 appearances and averaged 1.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game while shooting 35.6 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from deep.

Los Angeles also played him in Games 5 and 6 of its first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks, and he scored 11 total points across the two contests. Dallas ended up winning the series in six games.

Despite the up-and-down season with the Clippers for Tucker, Scotto reported in May he was expected to exercise his player option. Ultimately, this isn't a surprising move considering the 39-year-old likely wouldn't have received such an offer as a free agent at this point of his career.

There was a time earlier in his career when he certainly would have as one of the more valuable role players in the league who brought physical defense, the versatility to guard multiple positions, and the ability to both battle for boards and hit corner threes on offense when opposing defenses collapsed on his star teammates.

Tucker won a title in 2021 as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks and finished in 12th in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2013-14 for the Phoenix Suns. He has also provided veteran leadership for a number of teams during a career that includes stops with the Toronto Raptors, Suns, Houston Rockets, Bucks, Miami Heat, 76ers and Clippers.

This decision provides some continuity with Los Angeles as he looks to add to the 104 playoff games on his resume and chase another championship.

The Denver Nuggets reportedly expressed interest in an opt-in-and-trade deal for Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George recently, only to back out when the asking price was deemed too exorbitant.

According to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Clippers asked for Michael Porter Jr., Zeke Nnaji and "a significant amount of draft capital" in exchange for George. The Nuggets balked at that asking price since they "value their draft picks perhaps as much as any other contender in the league."

George, 34, could opt out of the final year of his contract and become a free agent this offseason if he doesn't sign an extension with the Clippers by Sunday.

In addition to the Nuggets, the Golden State Warriors are rumored to have interest in George in an opt-in-and-trade scenario, while the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic are reportedly potential suitors if he opts out.

George has long been one of the NBA's most complete players, and he is coming off his ninth career All-Star selection. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.3 three-pointers made and 1.5 steals per game last season while shooting a career-best 47.1 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Perhaps most importantly, PG-13 largely stayed healthy by appearing in 74 games, which was his most since the 2018-19 season.

Over his first four seasons with the Clippers, George didn't appear in more than 56 games in a single campaign, which is something that could give potential suitors pause in acquiring.

That same principle applies to the Clippers, who are reportedly hesitant to give him a four-year max extension.

Per Amick and Slater, the Clippers have been hoping to sign George to a deal similar to the three-year, $150 million extension Kawhi Leonard signed in January, as they want to get under the NBA's second apron by the 2025-26 season.

However, teams in the George sweepstakes have "an understanding that he wants every year and every dollar available to him by way of the league's collective bargaining agreement."

Given his recent injury history, signing George to a four-year deal would be a massive risk for any team, particularly if they have to part with significant assets in a trade like the Nuggets were reportedly asked to do.

The Nuggets won the NBA championship in 2023 only to get bounced in the second round of the 2024 playoffs, but a core of three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Porter still should be good enough to go the distance in 2025 and perhaps beyond.

Los Angeles Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said Thursday the second luxury tax apron will impact the team's extension negotiations with Paul George.

"We love Paul," Frank said Thursday, per ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "We very much want to retain Paul, but we also very much understand and respect the fact this is a business."

Paul has until Saturday to decide on his $48.8 million player option for the 2024-25 season. The nine-time All-Star is eligible for a four-year extension worth up to $221 million.

"This is a business and the reality of the new CBA impacts teams like us," Frank said, per Youngmisuk. "When your better players are in their 30s and you're trying to build a sustainable roster, it impacts it.

"Like if there was no CBA, with [team owner] Steve Ballmer, it would be carte blanche. With the new CBA, it's not even about the money as it is how are you going to build a sustainable roster, maintain your tools to have transactional flexibility? And with that comes really, really hard decisions."

The Clippers have made more than $365 million in luxury tax payments over the last three seasons, per Spotrac. Last season, with the newly-installed second apron raising penalties for high-spending teams, the Clippers' $142.4 million bill made franchise history.

Los Angeles has previously had "extensive discussions" with George about a potential extension, especially before the February trade deadline, The Athletic's Sam Amick and Law Murray reported in May.

Those talks haven't led to anything yet. The Clippers' hopes that George will, like Kawhi Leonard, sign a deal below the maximum could lead to George hitting free agency on June 30.

With the first round of the 2024 NBA draft taking place on Wednesday evening, the offseason is in full swing. One of the biggest storylines heading into draft and free agency week has involved the future of Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George.

The 34-year-old is still playing at an extremely high level and could become one of the top players on the market when free agency opens on Sunday. However, he first has to decide whether to exercise his $48.8 million player option for the 2024-25 season.

For the Clippers and their fans, George's decision will carry a massive weight. Los Angeles created a star-studded core when it added James Harden to a group that already included George, Russell Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard in November.

Had injuries not limited Leonard in the postseason, the Clippers—who lost to the eventual Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks in six—might have pushed all the way to the finals.

Presumably, the Clippers hope to keep the proverbial band together for next season, which would require retaining George and re-signing impending free agent Harden.

Reportedly, Harden's future could hinge almost entirely on George's decision.

"He wants to see if Paul George remains, how many years Paul George gets, because he wants to align himself along with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George," ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk said on NBA Today (h/t Bleacher Report's Doric Sam).

There's been speculation, though, that even if George opts in, he'll still be trying to find a new team.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein (h/t Bleacher Report's Andrew Peters), there's a "growing feeling" that George will opt in and try to force a trade. According to Stein, the Clippers have offered George a three-year deal in the $150-million range, but George is seeking a longer deal.

In a vacuum, it might seem like George forcing his way out would be a worst-case situation for the Clippers. It would break up L.A.'s supergroup and could force Harden to seek employment elsewhere.

Yet, it wouldn't be the complete disaster that it might appear to be at first blush. For one, George could simply decline the option and seek his long-term deal on the open market. He has the leverage to get the deal he wants, force a trade or walk because other teams are reportedly willing to sign a four-year deal.

"I have been told that multiple teams out there are willing to trade for him and offer him the four-year max contract that he's not currently being offered by the Clippers," ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on Get Up (h/t Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors).

Secondly, locking up George with a max contract would carry massive risk.

Los Angeles is already tied to Leonard after giving him a three-year, $149.7 million extension. Leonard is 34, and Harden is 34, Westbrook is 35 and Leonard is the youngster of the group at 32.

It's an older group, and there's no guarantee that it can stay healthy or continue playing at a high level for another season, let alone the next three or four. And if George gets the lucrative contract he wants and Harden re-signs, the Clippers are likely looking at being over the dreaded second luxury-tax apron for that timeframe.

This would make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for L.A. to reload its roster if the current group falters. L.A. is short on draft capital, and second-apron restrictions will make it extremely tough to build through free agency or the trade market.

If or when the Clippers are over the second apron, they'll be unable to aggregate contracts in a trade, send out cash, use trade exceptions from previous years or take back more salary than they send out.

It's unclear exactly what the Clippers might be able to get in a George trade this summer, but i multiple teams are truly interested, L.A. should expect a strong return. That's a lot better than losing George for nothing in free agency and a respectable alternative to betting everything on the idea that L.A.'s aging stars won't hit the dreaded cliff.

Would the Clippers rather keep George—and, perhaps, by extension, Harden—on their terms? Absolutely. If they can't, the opt-in-and-trade option is far from their worst.

If the Los Angeles Clippers end up losing Paul George this offseason, the team reportedly would have a chance to fill the hole on their roster with another star player.

K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports reported on Wednesday that the Clippers could be a "potential" destination for Chicago Bulls veteran shooting guard DeMar DeRozan if George parts ways with Los Angeles.

DeRozan is set to become an unrestricted free agent after spending the last three seasons with the Bulls. The Los Angeles native could be open to playing closer to home at this stage in his career, and he would be a strong consolation prize for the Clippers if George departs the team.

George has the choice of declining his player option to test the open market or opting into the $48.8 million option for the 2024-25 season and forcing Los Angeles to trade him elsewhere. He has been seeking a max contract extension from the Clippers, but the team has not shown much interest in meeting his demands.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst explained the situation on Wednesday's episode of Get Up, stating that multiple teams would be willing to give George a max extension, and that could influence him to force his way out of Los Angeles.

"To this point, the Clippers have only been willing to offer Paul George about what they gave Kawhi Leonard," Windhorst said (h/t RealGM). "Three years at a little bit less than the max contract, and Paul George, frankly, wants four years. He wants a full-out max and there are a number of teams out there, I am told, that are prepared to give it to him, who are prepared to trade for him."

If the Clippers are unwilling to sign George to a max deal, perhaps their best course would be to recoup assets in exchange for the nine-time All-Star. Adding DeRozan would help Los Angeles maintain its status as a title contender next season.

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George has been rumored to be one of the top trade candidates this offseason, but there are now indications that he won't be going anywhere.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on this week's episode of The Hoop Collective (11:03 mark) that teams like the Philadelphia 76ers that explored trading for George got the notion that his preference is to remain in Los Angeles.

"I'm not so sure Paul George really wanted to leave the West Coast. I think that was something Philadelphia kind of ran into when they kicked the tires there," Windhorst said.

George is a Los Angeles native, so it makes sense that he would want to remain close to home. Windhorst's report doesn't guarantee that the Clippers won't end up trading the nine-time All-Star this offseason, but it would be a surprise if they sent him to another Western Conference team that would stand in their way of contending for an NBA championship.

George has the opportunity to decline his player option for the 2024-25 season and test the open market. He's been seeking a max contract extension, but the Clippers have yet to meet his contract demands, which could lead to them being forced to give him up.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported earlier this week that "there is a growing feeling leaguewide that the 34-year-old picking up his $48.8 million player option for next season to force the Clippers to trade him is an increasingly realistic scenario."

The Golden State Warriors were named among the teams that would be potential suitors for George. While it's an intriguing idea to pair George with star point guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors likely would have to pay a hefty price to convince the Clippers to trade him within the Pacific Division. Golden State would likely have to involve another team in the deal to make it happen.

George's decision to stay with Los Angeles or force a trade elsewhere will be the biggest domino that has to fall this offseason for teams that are looking to figure out their best paths toward title contention in the 2024-25 campaign.