After the Los Angeles Lakers had secured a five-year commitment from Anthony Davis as well as an additional commitment from LeBron James this past offseason, the Lakers had seemingly locked up their future while their neighbors across the hallway at Staples Center appeared to be on the clock with their two stars wings, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, entering contract years. At least in one way, some of that pressure is off of the Clippers.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday that Paul George has signed a five-year contract extension to stay with the Clippers worth $226 million. Now the Clippers no longer have to worry about George potentially walking in free agency if they fail to meet expectations.
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
Kawhi Leonard can still become a free agent in 2021 but the Clippers would be in a very bad situation were they to lose both players. At least with George, they still have a player who can play All-NBA level defense and score with the best of them, despite his struggles in last year’s playoffs. If nothing else, the Clippers have signaled to Leonard they are very serious about being good for a long time, despite last year’s flame out.
