The Clippers want to keep the core and build around George, Harden and Leonard
Next year should be an exciting time for the Clippers, especially as they look to begin the next campaign playing in their new home, the Intuit Dome. Despite being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, they have shown many moments of brilliance throughout the season and hope to keep their core roster intact.
The president of the basketball team Lawrence Frank confirmed that they are already working to keep the stars Paul George and James Harden, as they expect to keep them close to Kawhi Leonard, and build a team around them.
While George has a $48.8 million player option due next year and could become a free agent, Harden is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Reports suggest the point guard is waiting to see what happens with his star teammate before making a decision on his future in Los Angeles.
Paul George on what the Clippers did wrong:
“He tried to play hero football, he tried to be a goal scorer and be dominant. But you fail to see that sometimes you have to take what defense offers. ”
– Sai (@LeGoatedOne) May 9, 2024
“We would like to be able to bring back and keep Paul and James,” Frank said this week. “We hope we can, but we also understand and respect the fact that they are free people. Paul is decisive about his decision. James is going to be an unrestricted free agent, so our goal is to bring him back, but also realize that they are quality players and they will have options. “
As the team was eliminated in Game 6 by the Mavericks, Paul was consulted about his future in the Clippers. “Yes,” he said of forming a team with James and Kawhi. “If it works that way, absolutely.”
The veteran has played in 74 regular season games this campaign, the most games he has played in his entire five years in California. “We want Paul, we appreciate Paul,” said Frank. “Paul has done great things here. He is a top player, and our main thing is that we always want to be able to manage the players well and pay them properly, and we have to build a team, especially, this is the new CBA.”
“But as for the exact money, I will never explain the details unless we have very good discussions during the year and I hope we can get him to continue as a Clipper,” said the official. athlete who posted averages of 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and a career-high 41.3% from beyond the arc.
The Clippers front office believes the team can win the NBA title if they stay healthy next season
One of the most disappointing moments this past season came when Kawhi Leonard suffered a sprained right knee, limiting him to just 68 games during the campaign. The team is figuring out the best way to manage his condition, given that he has undergone surgery for a torn ACL and meniscus since 2021.
“We are still dealing with swelling,” explained Frank. “What inspires me is that this image looks small in nature because it is not structured. The truth is that we will continue to try to learn how to manage his right knee. He has had two knee surgeries, but he showed that he can be strong.”
The president of the basketball game confirms that they are working hard to prevent this from happening next year, as this association is confident that it can represent the cup next season if it can continue to live.
“I understand that the doubt is another year when you still don't have a team [healthy],” Lawrence confirmed. “But I will be careful to criticize. Just because it happened [again] it doesn't mean it will happen every year next year.”
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