“Hell With That”: Stephen A Smith Rubbishes Paul George’s Free Agency Plans But Clippers’ $221M Decision Could Force Inevitable Fate

With his pending $48.8 million player option for next season and a chance to become a free agent this summer, there is a lot of chatter going around about Paul George’s future in LA. Still one of the best two-way players in the league at age 34, PG has a lot of suitors who can use his help to win a title. Meanwhile, the Clippers seem rather reluctant to offer him his desired $221 million max extension. Now, PG’s latest comments about what he wants for his future didn’t really sit well with Stephen A Smith.

Addressing the free agency talks on an episode of Podcast P with Paul George, the Clippers superstar revealed that he might no longer be interested in doing what people want him to do, “At this point, I’m not even necessarily… chasing a Championship.” Instead, PG wants to play in an environment that he believes is right for him. “It’s playing the right style of basketball is what I’m chasing,” he said.

And PG’s honest confession did turn some heads, with one being Stephen A. Smith’s. The 56-year-old reacted to the nine-time All-Star’s comments on The Stephen A. Smith Show, “Paul George, that was not the wisest comment in the world, my brother.” Having been in the league for fourteen years, PG does not have any hardware to show for it. Despite being deemed a superstar from his days in Indiana, he has never made an appearance in the Finals, let alone win a ring. With that track record, Stephen A. got straight to the point. “Hell with that. Chase that ring, Chase that Championship!” Moreover, the analyst reminded George that playing the right way hasn’t got him very far till now, so it might be time to be a little selfish and chase that long-awaited title. But will it be possible with PG’s latest setback?

$221 million seems far-fetched for Paul George after shocking Sixers update

Until now, PG had leverage over his current team because of the Sixers’ interest in signing the superstar with a potential $212 million offer. However, the latest update by NBA Insider Shams Charania revealed that Daryl Morey’s interest in the deal might slowly be fading. The reason? Sixers are now expected to use their massive cap space to focus on other assets in the market. That could cause a major problem for PG as the leverage he had will also diminish if the Sixers back out.

Moreover, that will give the Clippers another reason to not offer PG the max contract as they have already been hesitant about it. Reportedly, they want to keep George in LA but do not wish to offer him more than what they did to Kawhi Leonard, which is a three-year $149.7 million deal. More importantly, offering Paul the max will get the Clippers stuck in the second apron of luxury tax for multiple years, restricting their trade options to improve the roster. So, either George will have to settle with the lower paycheck or possibly go to a team that might not be ready to contend for a title right away.

Even though Stephen A. wants PG to chase his first ring, he might only be able to do it by staying with the Clippers. With that, it looks like PG will either have to give up his $221 million aspirations or let go of his Championship dream.

How do you think PG’s future might look? Let us know in the comments below.

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