The Los Angeles Clippers could deliver a shocker move as the 2023 offseason starts to reach the climax stage.
According to league insider Marc Stein, many league rival teams are assuming that the Clippers are trying to measure the trade value of Paul George after the team’s Draft Week talks. He further added that the franchise also left an impression that they got “real consideration” for breaking up their superstar tandem.
“League sources tell The Stein Line that the LA Clippers have left various rival teams with the impression through their Draft Week conversations that they are, at a minimum, attempting to gauge Paul George’s trade value and, to hear some describe it, giving real consideration to the idea of disassembling the Kawhi Leonard/George tandem,” Stein wrote in his latest Substack post.
Stein noted that both the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers have been considered as potential landing spots for George.
The Leonard-George era in Clippertown is yet to enjoy that ultimate success since the duo joined forces four years ago. Under their leadership, the Clippers underperformed and can only consider their Conference Finals finish last 2020-21 as their deepest mark.
Leonard and George have shown injury vulnerabilities and availability concerns for the Clippers since 2019, and a potential breakup can only be a considerable option for the Clippers to reroute themselves heading to a much better and different position to win.
In the case of both the Blazers and the Rocket, both clubs can entice the Clippers to part ways with the star swingman as they hold coveted assets and the No. 3 and 4 selection of Thursday’s Draft, respectively. Houston, rumored running for a James Harden reunion, is determined to exit their rebuilding phase and enter the contention level with new coach Ime Udoka. Meanwhile, the Blazers are desperate to keep Damian Lillard as they are searching for the best enforcers they can attain for the franchise hero.
The offseason is indeed already on the horizon for the entire league, and expect more interesting news to come up as days go by.
