9-Time All-Star Named Ideal Fit for Knicks, But They ‘Never Seriously Pursued’

If there is an ideal All-Star who can play next to Jalen Brunson in the New York Knicks backcourt, it’s Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic.

“George would be the ideal fit with the Knicks: A rangy wing who drains 3-pointers, runs pick-and-rolls, doesn’t stop moving off the ball and could combine with OG Anunoby to create the best defensive perimeter combination in the league. He plays with no ego and has no issue taking a back seat to costars, whether they’re Kawhi Leonard or Russell Westbrook. And, oh, he’s a client of CAA, the same agency Rose ran before coming to the Knicks four years ago,” Katz wrote on June 14.

But Katz also added that the Knicks “have kicked George’s name around before, according to league sources, but they never seriously pursued him in a deal.”

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Knicks Inquired About Paul George Last Summer

The Knicks did inquire about George last summer but balked at his hefty price tag and instead pivoted to acquiring the cheaper and much younger Anunoby in December.

“The Knicks and Clippers originally had trade talks surrounding Paul George at the NBA Draft. At the time, New York was considering a package featuring Obi Toppin, Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, and three first-round picks in exchange for George, league sources told HoopsHype. Toppin was then traded to the Pacers for two second-round picks, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

After that, RJ Barrett’s name was brought up briefly in trade talks by the Clippers in place of Toppin, league sources told HoopsHype. However, the asking price of parting with Barrett, Grimes, three first-round picks, and then having to negotiate a long-term extension for George, who’s 33 years old, was too high for the Knicks,” Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto wrote on July 6, 2023.

All of those Knicks players involved in those trade talks are no longer with the team.

Toppin went on to help the Pacers beat the Knicks in the second round of this year’s playoffs. Barrett was packaged with Immanuel Quickley and a second-round pick for Anunoby. Grimes and Fournier were traded to the Detroit Pistons for veterans Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic.

But the Knicks’ cache of first-round picks is still intact which makes them a major player when a star becomes available.

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Complicated Scenario Wherein Knicks Land Paul George

George, 34, has until June 29 to decide whether to pick up or decline his $48.8 million player option.

He has multiple options to consider: stay and extend with the Clippers, decline his player option to become an unrestricted free agent, a sign-and-trade, or do a “Chris Paul” move as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst described the scenario where he opts into his player option and seeks a trade to his preferred team and extend there.

“That way the Clippers could get assets back and then [George] signs an extension with that new team when the time comes down the line,” Windhorst said on the “The Pat McAfee Show” on June 12.

That is the complicated scenario where the Knicks could land George at a discount.

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