On Thursday, Paul George reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Clippers to extend his contract for another five years. This deal guarantees that George will make at least $226 million over the five year period.
Adrian Wojnarowski reported the deal via Twitter on Thursday afternoon.
All-Star forward Paul George has signed a maximum contract extension with the Los Angeles Clippers that’ll guarantee him as much as $226 million over the next five years, his agent Aaron Mintz of @CAA_Basketball tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 10, 2020
After a disappointing end to the season in the Bubble, fans may be surprised at this extension deal. The Clippers had reigning Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George on the team ready to make an impact. Before the Bubble, the Clippers were a serious NBA Finals contender and even beat the Lakers back in December. Leonard and George were some of the top players in the world and were working together to make this a winning season.
The Bubble
Once the Clippers got into the Bubble it seemed as though some things had shifted. They were still the number 2 seed in the Western Conference. The Clippers were pretty confident they would meet the Lakers in the conference playoffs. In the first round of Bubble playoffs, the Clippers played the Dallas Mavericks. The Clippers then beat the Mavericks four games to two. Then in the second round, the Clippers play the Denver Nuggets. The Clippers were sitting with a comfortable three games to one lead but then lose the remaining three games and are sent out of the Bubble.
Is George capable of leading the Clippers?
This unexpected and disappointing lose in the Bubble is causing some people to question the Clippers’ deal with George for another five years. This is going to be George’s eleventh season in the league so fans are concerned he is past his prime. While he it may have been his tenth season, he still averaged 21.5 points per game, 3.9 assists per game, and 5.7 rebounds per game (basketballreference.com). That is the stat line of one of the top 20 basketball players in the league, according to espn.com’s prediction for the top players in the NBA. (George came in at #20)
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The idea of facilitation and leadership is something that Clippers fans are questioning George on right now. While the fanbase and everyone else who watches the NBA can acknowledge he is a good player, there is a question of if he can lead his team to a championship. George has yet to win a title and to be that good and not have a title worries some fans. Paul George is locked in for this season and is ready to prove everyone wrong. Now we have five more years of Paul George in a Clippers uniform. And the question of if he will bring the team a ring or not.
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