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By Alex Kirschenbaum
Contributing Entertainment Writer
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The Golden State Warriors are looking to make major personnel changes this summer.
Just two years removed from claiming their fourth title with All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry on the roster, the Warriors missed out on the playoffs this spring. Golden State finished with a solid-but-unspectacular 46-36 record in 2023-24 and notched the Western Conference's No. 10 seed. The team got handily blown out by former associate head coach Mike Brown's Sacramento Kings in its lone play-in game.
On ESPN's "Get Up" program, analyst Brian Windhorst reported that Golden State is intrigued by the prospect of adding George by trade this summer.
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George has until Saturday to pick up his $48.8 million player option for the 2024-25 season with the Clippers. Los Angeles, his hometown team, finished with a solid 51-31 overall record and the West's No. 4 overall seed, but was felled by a Kawhi Leonard injury and the inconsistent output of George and James Harden. The team lost in six games to the lower-seeded Dallas Mavericks, who eventually made their way to the NBA Finals.
"Golden State is big fish hunting," Windhorst said. "Remember, last trade deadline, they put a call in about LeBron James. They are sniffing around big deals. If Paul George is willing to leave, they would like to be an option for him. But any of these places that Paul would need to go via trade would have to be worked out by the Clippers ... by Saturday."
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The 6-foot-8 veteran, enjoyed his heathiest season since joining the Clippers. He appeared in 74 contests, averaging 22.6 points on .471/.413/.907 shooting splits, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks a night.
George, 34, is eligible to ink a four-year, $221 million contract extension with L.A., should the Palmdale native want to stay in town. Given the team's seemingly-closed championship window, and George's potency as a two-way force despite being in his NBA dotage, it might behoove him to consider other options.
A George trade to the Warriors might take major draft equity on Golden State's part, plus perhaps the contracts of aging veterans like Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II.
As a nine-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA Team honoree with a strong postseason pedigree (despite never quite getting over the hump), George is a strong bet to make the Hall of Fame when his playing days are done. He'd be a natural fit on Golden State as a switchable forward who can handle, finish at the rim and bank 3-pointers on offense, while guarding multiple positions defensively.
But George would be joining an aging, undersized Warriors core alongside 36-year-old Curry and 34-year-old big man Draymond Green. The fate of 34-year-old wing Klay Thompson is also up in the air this summer.
While intriguing, adding George would leave a major question lingering for the Warriors: would they still have enough talent to truly compete in the West?
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