Paul George details frustrations, decision to leave Clippers for 76ers

“Just to put it out there, I never wanted to leave LA initially. I was not trying to leave LA – LA is home. This is where I wanted to finish at.”

Paul George is a Philadelphia 76er — and he’s excited about how good that team can be — but he insisted that was not his plan during his latest episode of “Podcast P with Paul George.” The plan was to stay on the Clippers, and George said he would have stayed for the same money Kawhi Leonard got — three years, $152 million — if Los Angeles had also given him a no-trade clause. They didn’t.

Here is George’s side of the story:

“So the first initial deal was like two years, 60 [million]. So I’m like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Two years, 60? That’s crazy! I’m not signing that. Now we’re getting into the negotiating…

“It was like they would go up inches, inches, inches to where it was like 44-45 [million a year]… Then I hear wind of what they’re going to give Kawhi so I’m like, ‘Just give me what Kawhi got. Y’all view us the same. We came here together, we want to finish this s*** together. I’ll take what Kawhi got, I was cool with that….

“Season ends, I finish healthy, 74 games played and had one of my most efficient seasons. So now we going into negotiations and they bring it to three years, 150 [million]. Basically what they wanted to give Kawhi… and I’m like alright, we’re in the ballpark. Now we can have a conversation. Still it still wasn’t about the money because when I went back to have the negotiation at the end of the year, I presented the 3 [years], 150 [million], no trade [clause]… I’m taking less, but at least I know I’m here. They didn’t want to do no trade. They didn’t want to do that so then I’m like, ‘All right, well then it only makes sense for me to do four years, 212 [million]. At least pay me my money. If y’all going to trade me, ya’ll going to trade me, but at least now I’m not in a situation where I could have got more, had I just gone a free agency, then just take this deal where y’all could ship me. They didn’t want to do that, so now I was like I’m open to entertaining what’s out there.”

That’s where Daryl Morey and the 76ers were waiting with a max four-year, $212 million offer. George took his time but ultimately signed it to play with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on a contender in the East.

“Just the idea of playing with such a presence in Joel [Embiid] and then just a fresh start, new opportunity,” George said on his podcast. “I was pretty open on the conversation and the decision.”
George also confirmed that he will wear No. 8 while playing for the 76ers and why that number.

“My idol ‘The Bean’ Kobe Bryant — my way of idolizing Kobe and something that meant something outside of [numbers] 24 and 13,” George said.