Paul George’s stint with the Los Angeles Clippers comes to an end this week. After the entire season passed without the two sides reaching an agreement on a contract extension, the franchise issued a statement early in the free agency period declaring that he would not return – George eventually signed a four-year max deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
According to reports, there was an avenue for George to join the Golden State Warriors via a sign-and-trade in which he would receive that max contract; but, it never materialized due to the Clippers’ worries about taking back long-term money. And, as it turns out, Draymond Green isn’t too pleased with this, as he discussed on his podcast.
"Most of these organizations ain't loyal"
—@Money23Green on the Clippers not doing right by Paul George pic.twitter.com/gNxQRO9miJ
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) July 3, 2024
“Paul George’s tenure there, as far as All-NBAs and All-Stars, is not too far off for what the best Clippers of all time,” Green indicated. “And to not be willing to play ball on a sign-and-trade where he wants to go — for, it is what it is, one of the best players in your organization’s history, I just don’t really wanna hear people saying, like, ‘Oh, that guy wasn’t loyal.'”
Green cited additional instances of players being accused of not being loyal, but made it clear that this is a two-way street.
“Most of these organizations ain’t loyal,” Green explained. “So, when everyone gets on Twitter and says, ‘Oh, this man isn’t that,’ stop it. This is not a dependable business. Because occasionally athletes want to do what they believe is best for them, and teams aren’t really willing to play ball. No one talks about loyalty when you’re willing to take nothing in exchange for someone.
Of course, Green would have benefited the most from George securing the sign-and-trade. Still, given that the Warriors recently lost Klay Thompson in a sign-and-trade, it’s understandable that Green (and anyone else on the team) would be furious about this.
