Paul George Warned To Prefer Pacers Return Over Joel Embiid Union By ex-76er: “How Soft That Team Gonna Be!?”

Paul George is one of the hottest names in the trade market this coming season. The Clippers veteran has yet to sign a deal with the said franchise. The fact that he has a player option to enter free agency in the 2024–25 season does not look good for LA. In fact, according to The Athletic’s Murray and Amick, the Clippers were willing to discuss trade scenarios involving PG ahead of the trade deadline in February.

Of course, that never happened, and he remained with them until the Mavericks tossed them out in the first round of the playoffs. Under such circumstances, his trade will naturally come back as a top subject for discussion. It seems like his former teammate has a suggestion for George’s potential destination.

Evan Turner, the ex-assistant coach for the Boston Celtics, and 4x champion Andre Iguodala, were in a discussion about a few superstars and what it would look like if they returned to the team that drafted them. In one word: home. However, Turner has quite an interesting take on George. “PG has a history of not showing up.“

“I never met a human that would let a media rumor drive his energy or personality! … You know how soft that team gonna be if he and Embiid go together? It’d probably be the most skilled duo since Kobe and Shaq. But Embiid would be hurt and PG going to be Paul though,” clearly referring to his earlier statement.

Both the Pacers and 76ers are rumored to have an interest in the potential free agent for the coming season. And while Iguodala believes that Indiana is going to be scary if PG returns, his ex-teammate is of the opinion that it is also going to be the franchise’s kryptonite. Turner further explained that their best choice at a great season is for Tyrese Haliburton to “mature into the go-to game-ender,” with or without Paul George.

As far as the Point Forward podcast host is concerned, George’s availability is as good as his absence. So, if the 9x All-Star were indeed to pick up his player option, what would it look like? Other than Evan Turner’s opinions, of course.

Can the Clippers retain Paul George for another title run with the Big 3 at the helm?

While the hypothesis of PG at Indiana is quite something, as of now, the Philadelphia 76ers remain a threat to LA for luring George in free agency. If the 34-year-old declines his $48.8 million player option, the Sixers will be right there with a max contract for Paul.

But that’s not the only problem they are facing right now. James Harden is also entering free agency in the 2024–25 season. When they signed ‘The Beard,’ the Clippers were finally hoping to make a championship run. The franchise superstar Kawhi Leonard was also having the healthiest year with them. But come the playoffs, Leonard saw himself once again on the injury reports, far more frequently than he liked.

Along with that, Paul George was inconsistent, but he was commendable. He was splendid in the regular season, posting career-highs in true shooting percentage, and free throws from the field and downtown. But nowhere near for the postseason. PG put up seven points in the Game 3 loss and shot just 33.3% from the field during the final game, which ended their series for good. Not to mention, he averaged just 19.5 points per game in the first round of the playoffs.

The trio of Kawhi, George, and Harden did not spend enough time together on the court. It’s pretty much like the Big Three of the Suns. So far, PG and the Clippers have failed to reach an agreement on his contract. Whether Paul George will be part of the 2024–25 LA roster is something we will have to wait and see.