NBA News 2020-21: LA Clippers star forward, Paul George has signed a maximum contract extension with the LA Clippers that guarantees him as much as $226 million over the next five years, his agent, Aaron Mintz of CAA Sports, told ESPN.
The Clippers are lengthening Six-time All-Star forward’s contract for an extra four years at $190 million on top of the $35.4 million guaranteed him for the 2020-21 season.
Paul George had a player option for the 2021-22 season. This will be superseded with the four-year extension, which incorporates a new player option for the 2024-25 season.
The contract amounts are expected to be hit due to more economical annual percentage rises in the salary cap because of significant losses in league revenues.
This extension is connected to the four-year, $137 million contract that George signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2018. In all, George will have turned that Thunder contract and this deal into a huge sum of seven years and $290 million.
Paul George- extension based on a projected $112M cap in 2021/22
2021/22 $39,344,970
2022/23 $42,492,568
2023/24 $45,640,165
2024/25 $48,787,763
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) December 10, 2020
How does Paul George fit in the LA Clippers team?
This new deal compresses one of the Clippers’ foundation players for the long term.
George’s extension might serve as an incentive for Kawhi Leonard to commit to a free-agent deal with the Clippers. The next step for achieving the franchise’s future will be focused on re-signing Leonard, who could become a free agent after this season.
PG13 made an extraordinary comeback from a crushing leg injury suffered in the summer of 2014 playing with Team USA.
In 10 NBA seasons with the Indiana Pacers, Thunder, and Clippers, George has averaged 20 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
NBA Schedule: The tentative NBA schedule calendar for the 2020-21 season:
• Dec. 11-19, 2020: Preseason games
• Dec. 22, 2020 – March 4, 2021: First Half of regular season
• March 5-10, 2021: All-Star break
• March 11 – May 16, 2021: Second Half of regular season
• May 18-21, 2021: Play-In Tournament
• May 22 – July 22, 2021: 2021 NBA Playoffs