LOS ANGELES — A week after saying he wanted to retire as a Clipper, forward Paul George has signed a four-year contract extension with the aim of staying with the franchise for the long term.
Under the extension, which includes a player option for the final season in 2024-25, George can earn up to $226 million over the next five years, two people with knowledge of the deal confirmed.
George could have become a free agent this summer by declining his player option for the 2021-22 season, but decided against testing that market months ahead of time, a move he signaled he was interested in making last week when he declared the Clippers his home. George is not eligible to be traded until April.
“As a kid growing up in Southern California, I always dreamed of playing in Los Angeles, where my friends and family could come watch me play,” George said in a team release. “I am so grateful to Steve Ballmer, Lawrence Frank, coach Ty Lue, my teammates, and the entire Clippers organization for believing in me. I am proud to call this my home and look forward to doing my part in helping make the team a tremendous success — both on and off the court — in the years ahead.”
Frank, the team’s president of basketball operations, called it “an important moment for our franchise and our fans, to secure a long-term commitment from one of the premier two-way players in the NBA.”
George is coming off a season where he averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists and scored 30 or more points nine times, but has said he never felt comfortable coming off of surgeries to both shoulders during the 2019 offseason. George also struggled during the postseason and said last week that “last year was an unacceptable year for me and I know that.”
The Clippers open their preseason schedule Friday against the Lakers at Staples Center.
