Paul George declining player option with Clippers, will become unrestricted free agent: Sources

By Shams Charania, Law Murray and Alex Andrejev

Paul George is opting out of his player option with the LA Clippers, team and league sources confirmed Saturday.

By turning down his $48.8 million option for the final year of his deal, George will become an unrestricted free agent for the first time since 2018. Teams can begin negotiating with free agents from other teams after 6 p.m. Sunday and officially sign free agents to contracts on July 6.

George ranked third in The Athletic’s John Hollinger’s latest NBA free agency rankings, with Hollinger describing George as “the most interesting free agent to watch this summer.”

Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank previously said the team wanted to retain George. Frank said in May he was “hopeful that we can still bring him back” and added that George tabled conversations about his contract once the All-Star break concluded, choosing to wait until after the season ended.

George played 74 games last season, his most since joining the Clippers via a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game during the 2023-24 campaign.

The 34-year-old forward is considered one of the NBA’s best two-way players, with the ability to play on or off the ball and guard multiple positions.

A 14-year NBA veteran, George is a nine-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection. He was acquired by LA in a blockbuster deal that sent Oklahoma City Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps.

This story will be updated.

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(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)