Clippers Gauging Paul George Trade Interest; Perfect Fit with Mavs' Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving?
With less than 48 hours until the NBA Draft gets underway, anticipation is building around the league due to a handful of trades that could take place. The fun got started on Sunday, as the Phoenix Suns swung a deal with the Washington Wizards for star shooting guard Bradley Beal. Now the question is, what is the next big trade domino to fall?
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, it could be Los Angeles Clippers' star Paul George, as the team is "attempting to gauge" his trade value.
"League sources tell The Stein Line that the LA Clippers have left various rival teams with the impression through their Draft Week conversations that they are, at a minimum, attempting to gauge Paul George's trade value and, to hear some describe it, giving real consideration to the idea of disassembling the Kawhi Leonard/George tandem," Stein wrote in his Tuesday night newsletter.
Stein also goes on to say that Damien Lillard's Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets have been pegged as potential trade partners if George is dealt. Portland owns the No. 3 pick in Thursday's long-awaited draft, and Houston owns the No. 4 pick.
On paper, a two-way star forward like George would be a perfect fit next to the Dallas Mavericks' star duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. However, if the No. 3 and No. 4 picks are the bar for George's asking price, Dallas would likely be left on the outside looking in when it comes to trade offers. In theory, the Mavs could trade the No. 10 pick in this year's draft, as well as their 2027 first-round pick in an attempt to make up the value gap with the Trail Blazers and Rockets.
Trading for George could be a great short-term move for the Mavs, but the long-term outlook might be a different story. George is already 33 years old and has only played over 50 games twice in the last four seasons. The eight-time All-Star also has two years left on his current contract worth a total of $94 million.
If the Mavs do trade for George and it leads to a championship with Doncic and Irving, then nobody will ever care about this year's No. 10 pick or that 2027 first-round pick. But a deal like that would come with a lot of risks, and the Dallas front office must decide if swinging for an aging star is the right move, or if adding high-quality role players around Doncic and Irving for depth is the better move.
Given how disappointing the Mavs' summers have been since drafting Doncic in 2018, and considering that Doncic could be an unrestricted free agent as soon as 2026, every move from here on out will be put under a microscope.
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