Getty Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shakes hands with Jonathan Kuminga #00.
The Golden State Warriors are priming for a run at one of the best players in the NBA.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported on “Get Up” earlier this week that the Dubs are keying on Paul George as “the right player” to pursue in a trade that they hope will elevate them back into serious contention in the Western Conference next season.
“To this point, the [Los Angeles] Clippers have only been willing to offer Paul George about what they gave Kawhi Leonard — three years at a little bit less than the max contract. And Paul George, frankly, wants four years,” Windhorst reported on Wednesday, June 26, per Bleacher Report. “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 — who are prepared to trade for him. One of those teams, potentially, is up the coast in Golden State.”
Warriors All-In on Trying to Trade With Clippers for Paul George
GettyPaul George of the Los Angeles Clippers.
If George ends up in Golden State, the first step will be the Clippers forward opting into the final year of his $176.3 million contract with Los Angeles, which must happen by June 29.
The final year of that contract is worth $48.8 million total, which the Warriors would need to approximately match in any deal. As such, the only way the move can happen is if Golden State guarantees Chris Paul the $30 million on the final year of his contract and uses that as the salary foundation of the trade.
“The Warriors are interested in being a Paul George team, if Paul George wants to go play for the Warriors,” Windhorst said on the June 28 edition of the “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” podcast. “I think that’s gonna be really, really hard, because No. 1 the Clippers are not super interested in helping out the Warriors. If they are interested, they are going to want a gigantic price for Paul George.”
Paul, who will play next season at 39 years old, is not the prize the Clippers will be seeking, as Windhorst’s co-host Tim McMahon of ESPN pointed out. However, both Windhorst and his second co-host Tim Bontemps, also of ESPN, explained that Los Angeles could move on from Paul following a trade with the Warriors centered around George.
Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors’ First-Round Picks Will Be Catalysts in Any Trade for Paul George
GettyJonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors.
As such, Jonathan Kuminga will be the prize in any deal between the Dubs and Clippers that is centered around George, along with multiple Warriors’ future first-round picks. Golden State can trade first-rounders in 2026 and 2028, the latter of which might be particularly valuable considering the career timelines of Stephen Curry (36) and Draymond Green (34).
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy told media members Thursday that the team is open to dealing Kuminga and/or other young talents, though only for someone the Warriors “felt would unequivocally change the trajectory of our franchise.”
George could potentially do that as an upgrade on both offense and defense over Klay Thompson, who could be on his way to one of several different teams via free agency. George is a nine-time All-Star who averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals across 74 games played for the Clippers last season, per Basketball Reference.
He’s also a player the Warriors can potentially afford moving forward after removing Thompson and Paul from its 2024-25 books.