thelesterlee
With the 2023 NBA Draft days away, there are rumors saying the Los Angeles Clippers are shopping Paul George around. I am now fascinated with the idea of the Clippers punting on the Paul George-Kawhi Leonard duo but it makes sense. Los Angeles attempted some strange science experiment where they tried to optimize the peak performances of their stars by planning a million rest days which in the end, didn’t prevent those two guys from getting hurt every two weeks.
The Clippers were supposed to be a dynasty when Kawhi and Paul came together. They should’ve been two dominant wings who get buckets and lock down the opposing teams best scorers. But Los Angeles only made the playoffs 3 times in their 4 years together. There shouldn’t have ever been a season they didn’t make the playoffs.
The team made the conference finals once in 4 years and lost in 6 games to the Phoenix Suns. They built this Kawhi-Paul team after moving on from Chris Paul and Chris Paul beat their asses to make the Finals.
So yea, I could see the Clippers wanting to restart.
Kawhi is the better player but also the player who’s on the court the least so you can’t trade him and expect great assets back in return. But Paul George is basically on an expiring contract (he has a 2024 player option) and he has proven he is capable of shining as the no. 2 option. George finished 3rd in the 2019 MVP voting playing next to Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City.
In 56 games this season, Paul George averaged 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists on 45% shooting from the field and 37% from 3. He’s not the incredible on-ball defender he used to be but he’s more than capable of turning it up when the stakes are highest.
At 33 years old, there should be plenty of NBA teams rushing to get the Clippers on the phone for what could be the final couple years of George’s prime.
But let’s talk about the most interesting potential Paul George trade destinations:
1. Milwaukee Bucks
I know we’re literally here because combining Kawhi Leonard and Paul George didn’t work but what if the Bucks tried the same thing but replace Kawhi with Giannis—a guy who refuses to miss basketball games as opposed to a guy whose legs appear to be in constant pain.
It felt like Khris Middleton was missing this season. I know he had two 30-point games in the Bucks first round loss to the Miami Heat but it never felt as though he had control of the game the way he did when Milwaukee won the title in 2021.
Milwaukee is financially locked into a stagnant roster. Flipping Middleton for George could be the move to give this team some added juice. Giannis and Paul George could be a duo that beats Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the East.
2. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks haven’t figured out what types of players to surround Luka Doncic with which is why Kyrie Irving will steal a max contract from them this summer even though the duo fell out of playoff contention the second they joined forces.
I don’t want to be the ‘Defense Wins Championships’ geek but like, it’s still important. Luka can’t guard anyone. Kyrie is even worse. The Mavs need a guy who can defend the other team’s best perimeter scorer as well as a guy who can be a pressure release valve for the offense when Luka is done wasting the shot clock doing his little bullshit and he has to chuck it to a teammate with a few seconds left on the clock.
Paul George being Dallas’s third option would be the best way to optimize the aging star.
3. Sacramento Kings
I was juggling between picking the Kings or the Memphis Grizzlies. They’re both young teams in need of a big, playmaking wing but I just cannot get Harrison Barnes bricking a wide-open 3 in a Game 6 against his former team that dumped him for Kevin Durant. We should all be celebrating how unbelievably De’Aaron Fox played but Barnes ruined it with one of the nastiest shots I’ve ever seen.
This is a win-win for everyone. Paul George gets to continue living in California and the Kings upgrade from Harrison fucking Barnes.
4. Phoenix Suns
Let’s just do it, man. The first ever Big 4. Matt Ishbia purchased the team and with the help of Isiah Thomas—the worst GM in modern basketball—he’s building a fantasy basketball team. After trading for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, DeAndre Ayton is the last tradeable piece on this roster.
Durant, Booker, Beal and Paul George vs. everyone. PG could take the defensive burden away from an older Durant who is currently their most important defender. Ew, I hate how much I’m talking about defense. I’m becoming a corny ESPN analyst.
5. New York Knicks
Of course the Knicks are on this list. Of course.
RJ Barrett seems like a genuinely good, hard-working cat. I wish all of his dreams come true.
Unfortunately, I fear he’s miscast in New York. I thought his ceiling was DeMar DeRozan. I thought he could be a go-to iso scorer but RJ has no real midrange game and he’s predictable as hell with the ball in his hands.
If the Knicks want to truly compete for championships they have to upgrade from RJ Barrett. Championship windows don’t last forever and the Knicks can win a flawed Eastern Conference. There isn’t time to keep waiting for RJ to figure out how to shoot or to see what Obi Toppin develops into.
Trade for Paul George and stop pretending like RJ is going to become an All-Star when he’s just Andrew Wiggins.
Honorable mentions
Brooklyn Nets: The Nets have a lot of assets to send for a guy to pair with Mikal Bridges. Brooklyn
Atlanta Hawks: From my understanding, Paul George is better than whatever DeAndre Hunter is doing out there.
Indiana Pacers: Time to bring Paul George home where it all started. This is totally dependent on how Indiana feels about Tyrese Haliburton.
San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama needs a running mate. He’s entering the NBA as a Top 5 center from day one. Gregg Popovich isn’t getting any younger. Let’s start the next Spurs dynasty sooner than later.
Should the Giants give the bag to Saquon Barkley? Leave a comment below. Respond on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee. Let’s get this man paid.
