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Will Clippers Trade Paul George To Nets?

Will Clippers Trade Paul George To Nets?

The Los Angeles Clippers getting eliminated from the NBA Playoffs in the second round had a massive ripple effect. It led to Doc Rivers leaving the organization and will now ultimately impact the head coaching vacancies for at least three other franchises.

It may also have significant implications from a player standpoint.

According to Jason McIntyre of Fox Sports, the Clippers may end up moving one of their two big stars as a result of this past season’s failures.

“I’ve heard, at the exit interviews, Paul George didn’t get ‘rave reviews’ from his teammates,” he said on his podcast this week.

“My source would not be shocked if Paul George was shipped out of town.”

And where specifically out of town?

“The potential landing spot is the Brooklyn Nets,” McIntyre added.

George’s acrimonious relationship with many of his Clippers teammates is a matter of public record at this point.

The 30-year-old had a notable skirmish with Montrezl Harrell in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinals showdown against the Denver Nuggets. It stemmed from a turnover by George that he refused to take responsibility for, prompting Harrell to reply with something along the lines of, “You’re always right. Nobody can tell you nothing.”

Then there was the time, after the Clippers got eliminated by Denver, when George attempted to give his teammates a motivational speech, only to be met with “eye rolls and bewilderment.”

Beyond that, Chris Broussard of Fox Sports also reported last week that “some of the Clippers role players actually think they’re as good as Paul George” and “they’re having problems [with] the special treatment he’s gotten from Doc Rivers.”

And finally, there was the time Kawhi Leonard’s trainer mercilessly clowned George’s basketball IQ – likely speaking at least in some capacity to the way Leonard views his superstar teammate.

All of which is to say – the groundwork has definitely been laid for George getting shipped out.

The big question at this stage is what the Nets would be willing to give away to team George up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Presumably, some combination of Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jarrett Allen would be on the table. Obviously at least two first rounders would need to be used as well.

On the Clippers side, getting rid of George for some combination of those guys would certainly address depth issues and recoup some of their losses from their trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Of course, it would also cost them their second best player – which is less than ideal.

It is worth remembering that just two years ago Leonard won a championship on a balanced Toronto Raptors team without a clear second star, but better supporting cast. Trading away George may be the pathway to replicating that in LA.

Will the Clippers really get rid of George after one botched season? At the moment, it’s hard to envision that happening. But based on how much the locker room apparently didn’t vibe this past year, you can’t rule anything out.

Related: Washington Benching Dwayne Haskins, Starting Alex Smith?

Anthony Amador

A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.

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