When the Los Angeles Clippers paired up Kawhi Leonard and Paul George together, they entered in a win now situation. They gave up almost their entire future to trade for PG13 from OKC and had huge expectations for him.
However, in the first year it was nothing but disappointment for the Clippers. They blew a 3-1 lead in the Western Semi-finals and were sent home. Paul George in particular received a lot of slander for his poor string of performances.
But it seems like that the franchise has forgotten about that. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that the franchise has signed George for a humongous 5 year $226 Million contract.
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All-Star forward Paul George has signed a maximum contract extension with the Los Angeles Clippers that’ll guarantee him as much as $226 million over the next five years, his agent Aaron Mintz of @CAA_Basketball tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 10, 2020
Considering George averaged just 20.2 points on 39.8% shooting from the field in the playoffs, this deal has shocked NBA fans.
Twitter reacts to Clippers signing George for massive extension
As expected Twitter trolled PG13 after this deal was signed. Moreover, minutes after this news came out ‘Pandemic P’ hashtag started trending on the website.
paul george getting an extension for shooting a 3 off the side of the backboard and lying constantly in interviews is an inspirational story for people who fail upwards
— Sean Yoo (@SeanYoo) December 10, 2020
Paul George’s extension is the $ trail on who got Doc fired. LAC traded away all their picks to get PG and he and Kawhi had player options for next year. They both could’ve been gone next year so he had all the leverage over Steve Balmer and CASHED OUT! Yea I said it, carry on…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) December 10, 2020
Paul George arriving at the bank after signing a contract extension#NBA #NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/jJS5i9Btaa
— Coach Brian (@_IamCoachBrian) December 10, 2020
Paul George’s agent after scamming the Clippers #pandemicp pic.twitter.com/DnrKhs5maO
— justin (@Jgang__) December 10, 2020
Can Paul George live up to this humongous deal?
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With the deal finalized between George and the Clippers, the expectations are at an all-time high for PG. He not only has to make a comeback after an abysmal 2020 postseason run, but also make sure to live up to this contract.
However, looking at his performances last year, many have ruled him out of becoming the star that he once was. Also, the Clippers in general need to win an NBA Championship this year, otherwise their leader Kawhi Leonard could be out.
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All things considered, there should be a chip on the shoulders of each Clippers player, PG in particular. But can they overcome the immense competition in the West? With the Warriors making a comeback and the Lakers strengthening their squad, the path to championship is even more difficult this season.
What are your thoughts on this mega deal signed by George with the Clippers? Did he deserve this contract or did the Clippers make a mistake by handing him this deal? Let us know your views in the comments section.