There’s been plenty of buzz about who Paul George will play for at the start of the 2024-25 season. He’s been connected to several teams besides the Los Angeles Clippers, but the Denver Nuggets were once an option, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Anthony Slater.
“League sources say the Denver Nuggets … had serious interest recently in the prospect of adding George by way of a possible extend-and-trade with the Clippers (if he chose to go that route),” they wrote in a June 28 story.
They then added why the Nuggets lost interest in the nine-time All-Star.
“Yet in addition to giving George the max deal he so desires, they also would have had to give up Michael Porter Jr., Zeke Nnaji, and a significant amount of draft capital. The Nuggets value their draft picks perhaps as much as any other contender in the league, and so their interest ended there.”
There were no details on how “recent” the Nuggets’ interest was. George also would have had to be interested in joining the Nuggets to make a trade work. Given their appeal as the 2023 NBA Champions, it’s very possible he was.
George signed a five-year, $176 million contract with the Clippers. He has a player option for $48 million that he can opt in or out of.
Nuggets Rival Wants to Acquire Paul George: Report
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on June 26 that the Golden State Warriors want George and would pay a premium price to acquire him.
“He wants a full-out max. And there are a number of teams out there, I am told, that are prepared to give it to him, or are prepared to trade for him,” Windhorst said. “One of those teams potentially is up the coast in Golden State. Golden State is big-fish hunting. Remember, last trade deadline, they put a call in about LeBron James. They are sniffing around big deals.
“If Paul George is willing to leave, they would like to be an option for him.”
In Amick’s and Slater’s article, they also confirmed the Warriors’ interest in George.
“League sources say the Warriors, who have a sensitive free agency situation of their own with Klay Thompson, have legitimate interest in making George part of their new core alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green.”
Despite the Warriors failing to make the playoffs, they have the same aspirations as the Nuggets. They are on their last legs with Curry, so adding George would help their chances in getting another title before Curry retires.
Nuggets Beat Paul George & Clippers in 2020 Playoffs
In what has gone down as one of the most impressive Nuggets playoff victories in franchise history, the Nuggets came back from 3-1 to beat the Clippers in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
George’s performance was at the center of the Clippers’ lowlights. In seven games, George averaged 21.7 points while shooting 43.5% from the field and 38.5% from three. His struggles all came to a head in Game 7, putting up 10 points with five turnovers.
That has been the only time the Nuggets have faced George in the playoffs. Whether George plays for the Clippers, Warriors, or any West team trying to contend, there’s a chance the Nuggets might see him and his team again in the postseason,
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