Paul George Agrees to 5-Year Max Contract with the Clippers

Paul George has reportedly agreed to a new maximum extension that will keep him with the Los Angeles Clippers through at least the 2023-24 season.

A week after publicly declaring he wants to retire a Clipper, six-time All-Star Paul George signed the new deal which will add four years and $190 million to his contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday afternoon. The extension will include a new player option for the ’24-25 season.

“This is an important moment for our franchise and our fans, to secure a long-term commitment from one of the premier two-way players in the NBA,” Clippers president Lawrence Frank said Thursday, per Mark Medina of USA Today.

This extension solidifies part of the foundation to this talented Clippers team. In the 2019-20 season, George averaged the second most points at 21.5 points per game. He put up solid numbers all around in the 48 games he’s played, both on offense and defense. Averaging 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals a game, George helped lead the Clippers to a 49-23 season. The Clippers would enter the playoffs as the 2 seed in the West. With their versatility and depth, the team would make it to the semifinals. However, they fell short to Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets in a 4-3 series loss. 

George will have a lot to prove and a contract to live up to this 2020-21 season. Ending the 2019-20 year on a poor note, George’s playoff contribution was more than underwhelming. In an important Game 7 against the Nuggets, George was a no-show, scoring just 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting.

George recently criticized former head coach Doc Rivers on the “All the Smoke” podcast. He partly blamed Coach Doc on his struggles, stating his role on the team was forced.

“The way I was being used, I felt Doc was trying to play me as like a Ray Allen or like a JJ Redick, all pin-downs. I can do it, but that ain’t my game,” George said. “I need some flow, I need some mixes of pick-and-rolls, I need some post-ups, just different touches, you know what I mean? That last season was just hard overall.”

Falling short of expectations, George is confident he’ll redeem himself next season, which starts later this month. He declared his body feels good again and he’s been putting a lot of hours in on the court.

“I knew last year was a rough year for me. The good thing about that is I’m only 30, I still got a lot of years in the tank. It gave me a big motivation going into this season. I’m ready to dive right into this and give everything I have.”

The next step for the Clippers’ franchise will be working on re-signing Kawhi Leonard, who could be an unrestricted free agent next summer. 

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