When the LA Clippers resigned James Harden on a two-year $70 million contract many heads were turned. This move came when rumors of nine-time All-Star Paul George’s exit from the franchise were doing rounds. And soon enough, after the Clippers failed to negotiate a deal with PG, he packed his bags and was on his way to the “City of Brotherly Love.”

George signed a four-year $212 million contract with the Sixers ending the hopes of Clippers’ fans who wanted to see the trio of PG13, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard redeem themselves after the failure of last season. The trio was considered one of the biggest threats in the West, despite their first-round exit. Hence, it would make sense for the Clippers to keep hold of three, but instead, George will be lacing up for the 76ers. But did James Harden’s re-signing have anything to do with his exit? His former Clippers teammate believes so.

Speaking on his Pat Bev Podcast, Patrick Beverly claimed he knew that the  6-foot-8 forward wouldn’t stay at the Clippers once James Harden was signed. He talked about the situation at the Knicks involving Julius Randle and mentioned how signing a player in the same position and of the same size can cause issues. He then brought up PG’s exit.

“When the Clippers got James Harden, I knew Paul George would be out of there. I mean 1+1 = 2.”, said Beverley. Though he didn’t dive further into the situation, it did raise the question of what happened behind the scenes. Looking at the numbers, Harden and PG were the top performers during the playoffs. In fact, in the six games against the Mavericks, James Harden was the most productive out of all.

PG averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. Whereas Harden put up 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 8 assists while shooting 45% from the field. It wouldn’t be wise to blame Harden’s arrival for PG’s exit from the Clippers. This indicates that both players gelled well and what Beverly indicated might be slightly off the mark.

The truth of the matter may lie somewhere between what Paul George had to say about his exit and what Clippers owner Steve Ballmer felt. In the July 8, episode of Podcast P with Paul George, the former Clippers man talked about what led to his exit from the franchise after five seasons. “Just to put it out there, I never wanted to leave L.A. Initially, I was not trying to leave L.A.,” he mentioned. But the extension that Ballmer and Co. offered to George was “kind of disrespectful” according to the player.

George said that Clippers put forward an extension offer for two years and $60 million, last fall. His latest contract with the franchise would have paid him $48.7 million for the 2024-25 season and included a player option for the final year.  “I’m like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. That’s crazy, So I’m like, ‘Naw, I’m not signing that.’” As the negotiations dragged on, the franchise agreed to a three-year $152.3 million extension with Kawhi Leonard. George wanted the same deal.

“I’m like, ‘Just give me what Kawhi got. … I’m not gonna say I want more than ‘Whi. It’s not about me being paid more than him. I’m gonna take what he got. Y’all give him that, give me that. They didn’t wanna do that.” Yet the saga didn’t end here. After the Clippers’ season ended following a first-round playoff defeat to the Mavericks, talks were back on the table, the team offered him a three-year, $150-million deal, but there was a catch.

The deal offered to George was without a no-trade clause. George wanted the no-trade clause, but the front office refused. The player then requested a four-year, $212-million deal, which didn’t materialize either, leading to his free agency and subsequent signing with the 76ers. As you would expect, Steve Ballmer had his own reasons for not agreeing to PG’s terms.

Ballmer said that parting ways with George was hard on him.“I love Paul. Let’s start with Paul as a human being. Paul is a great human being, and I’ve really enjoyed my opportunity to get to know Paul’s family. So on a personal level, I hated it,” he said while talking to reporters on July 19. He then explained why his team had to make this decision.

Ballmer mentioned that new rules instituted by the 2023 collective bargaining agreement meant the Clippers had to make George an offer that would be in their best interests. “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,” Ballmer said.

Hence, it seems to avoid the second tax apron Ballmer had to make the tough decision of letting George go. Under the CBA, the teams that are $17.5 million over the luxury tax threshold are restricted in terms of what kinds of moves they can make, and they even have a future first-round pick frozen.

Meanwhile, Ballmer’s recent actions led many to believe that he may not be a fan of PG or the circumstances under which he left. The owner of the team recently liked a tweet that said, “Every 5 likes on this post and I’ll name a player better than Paul George.”. 

With George’s move, James Harden and the company are now left with the remaining assets after George’s exit. If anything, things aren’t looking so good for the Clippers.

James Harden and Kawhi Leonard will have to take over

Leonard has been dealing with injuries for quite a while. The Klaw missed his third playoffs due to injuries. To a certain point, it seems that Kawhi might join the list of injury-prone players, but the Clippers also have James Harden. The Beard, on the other hand, has been rather inconsistent with his performance. He played 72 games last year which is the most he’s played since the 2018-19 season. But his scoring averages have been significantly low.

Now, a lot of factors might have led to this, including Leonard and PG being the primary scorers of the team. But at this point, Harden will have to take over if the Clippers are hoping for a deep playoff run next year. It will be interesting to see James Harden go off next season, as the 35-year-old has already started preparing for the action.

What are your thoughts on Pat Bev’s claim? Do you think James Harden was one of the reasons behind PG’s exit? Let us know in the comments.

Feel that you can do with another update from the sport of basketball? Then do check out this recent interview with the up-and-coming Georgia Lady Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.