“Just to put it out there, I never wanted to leave LA.” Paul George made it clear earlier this year that he initially had no intentions of parting ways with the Clippers. But the underwhelming offer from Steve Ballmer and the disagreement in negotiations led him to join the 76ers. While Ballmer has publicly said that he “hated” seeing PG leave, his recent online activity tells a different story. And that raises the question: Is there a beef brewing between the former Microsoft CEO and Paul George?

Well, the speculations began after a Clippers’ fan page on X made a tweet saying, “Every 5 likes on this post and I’ll name a player better than Paul George.” Sure enough, no one thought much of it until the same page revealed that Steve Ballmer had liked the post, which means that he too wanted to know a player better than PG.

“Steve Ballmer don’t even like Paul George anymore,” the next tweet read, highlighting the owner’s suspicious activity. Although there have been no hints of bitterness between the two in the past and Ballmer even said, “I love Paul”, he was unwilling to offer the nine-time All-Star his desired three-year $150 million deal along with a no-trade clause.

Meanwhile, Steve Ballmer gave Kawhi Leonard a three-year $152.4 million extension in the very first month of this year. Surely, this discrepancy played a part in PG considering other options during free agency, “So now I’m open to entertaining what’s out there.” And connecting the dots from the franchise’s owner constantly declining the veteran his desired offer to now liking a tweet criticizing the superstar, there might have been a ‘lack of trust’ from the team owner’s side.

Steve Ballmer revealed why he did not offer Paul George a max contract

PG came to a point where he wanted a four-year $212 million extension along with a no-trade clause. However, the Clippers were not willing to make that offer. And although Ballmer had high praise for PG, he had a bigger goal in mind that kept him from offering the max contract, “From a basketball perspective, Paul is a fantastic player, future Hall of Famer. But we knew we needed to continue to get better. And with the new CBA, what tools, what flexibility [can be restricted], we made Paul what I consider a great offer. But it was a great offer in terms of us thinking about how to win championships. It wasn’t what Paul wanted.”

As per Ballmer, he has nothing but love and respect for PG even though he is no longer a part of the team. However, he is satisfied with what the Clippers have been able to add with the money they saved by letting George depart, “We got a lot of great players we added that we wouldn’t have been able to add otherwise. So, I’m happy about that too.”

With room to operate, Steve Ballmer has added several solid role players including high flyer and recent NBA Finals participant Derrick Jones Jr., big man Mo Bamba, and veteran shooter Nicolas Batum. If Kawhi and Harden can stay healthy, he believes they have a legitimate shot at being contenders in the West. And despite what his recent social media activity suggests, he has nothing but positive things to say about Paul George.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.