Lawrence Frank: We want to bring back both Paul George, James Harden
Even though the Los Angeles Clippers had one of their best seasons over the last decade, history repeated itself yet again last week.
The Clippers were dispatched in six games to the Dallas Mavericks–getting eliminated in the first round for the second consecutive year. Acquiring Paul George and Kawhi Leonard did not mean making just one conference finals in five years– the furthest the franchise has ever gone–but that was the hand that this luckless franchise was rewarded … again.
The Clippers have plenty of questions to answer this offseason. They already extended Kawhi Leonard for three additional seasons–thru 2026-27, starting at approximately $49.4 million, per Spotrac–but George has a $48.8 million player option (last year of deal) while James Harden is an unrestricted free agent.
Lawrence Frank, the team’s president of basketball operations, spoke to the media earlier this week, voicing that he would, ideally, want to retain both players.
“We’d like to be able to bring back and retain Paul and James,” Frank said Monday, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “We’re hopeful we can, but also understand and respect the fact that they’re free agents. Paul has a decision with his option. James will be an unrestricted free agent, so our intent is to bring him back, but also realize that they’re elite players and they’ll have choices.”
The Clippers have approximately $171 million allocated to 11 players, including Leonard’s projected $49.4 million and George’s option, assuming he exercises it. If he signs the $221 million extension he’s eligible for, his new cap hit would be roughly $550K more (if he declined his option), which would still keep them roughly $7 million below the onerous $178.7 million first apron and $18 million below ultra-onerous $189.5 million second apron.
Unless Los Angeles is planning to shed salary elsewhere, the Clippers are projected to be a first-apron team–especially if they re-sign Harden (they have his full bird rights). They will also have to make decisions regarding Russell Westbrook, who could opt out of his $4 million player option, and P.J. Tucker, who has an $11.5 million player option, among others.
A wise man once said: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
For five seasons, the Clippers’ core has underwhelmed in the postseason … or has simply gotten hurt at inopportune times. The latter is random, but Leonard, George nor Harden are getting any younger.
If the same disappointing outcomes keep occurring, at what point should change be considered?
“I understand the skepticism of this is another year where you haven’t had the group [healthy],” Frank said. “But I would guard against the cynicism. Just because it’s happened [again] doesn’t mean it’s always going to happen next year.”
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