All-Star forward Paul George followed up his recent comments about finishing his career with LA Clippers with actions on Thursday.

The Clippers announced that George inked a four-year extension that keeps him under contract through 2023-24. The deal also contains a player option for the 2024-25 season.

According to reports, the extension is worth $190 million, which puts George on track to earn $226 million in the next five years.

“I am proud to call this my home and look forward to doing my part in helping make the team a tremendous success—both on and off the court—in the years ahead,” said George after the deal became official.

Securing Paul George’s services was crucial for the Los Angeles Clippers, considering that he could have hit free agency next year. This would’ve been a nightmare scenario for the organization, after they gave up a massive package last year to bring him from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The trade saw the Clippers giving up perspective guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and veteran Danilo Gallinari while also sending five first-round draft picks and two pick-swap rights to OKC.

In his first year with Clippers, George struggled to perform on his All-NBA level from 2018-19. He averaged just 21.5 points per game, his lowest in an injury-free season since 2013, while also underperforming in the playoffs where Clippers blew 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semis against the Denver Nuggets.

The Clippers are now banking that George will return to All-Star level under new head coach Ty Lue, and that they can resurrect their NBA title hopes this season. The organization is probably also hoping that George’s commitment will prompt teammate Kawhi Leonard to do the same.

The post Paul George Signs a 4-Year, $190 Million Extension with Clippers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Los Angeles Clippers’ 107-103 overtime win against Boston Celtics on Wednesday night saw All-Stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard sharing the floor for the first time as teammates. But, as it turns out, George and Leonard could have played together a long time before joining Clippers this summer.

In a recent Ohm Youngmisuk’s recent cover story for ESPN, George revealed that he wanted Indiana Pacers to deal him to San Antonio Spurs in 2017 so he could team up with Leonard.

George informed Pacers in the summer of 2017 that he didn’t intend to resign with the franchise following the expiration of his contract next summer. It was widely presumed that he wanted to join Los Angeles Lakers as his top destination, but according to him Spurs were also high on the list.

“I wanted to be traded to San Antonio,” – said George. “We wanted to go to San Antonio first, and we didn’t make that happen.”

The league sources say that Spurs, in fact, did engage in talks with Pacers, but they lacked assets to make a compelling offer for an All-Star player. Indiana ended up trading George to Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo.

In their first game as Clippers, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard managed to put on a solid performance. George poured in 25 points to go with 5 assists and 8 rebounds while Leonard added 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

The post Paul George Wanted to Team up With Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio in 2017 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Oklahoma City Thunder parted ways with their All-Star duo Paul George and Russell Westbrook this offseason swiftly transforming themselves from a playoff contender to a lottery team. And while many believed that this process was kicked off by George’s trade request, it looks like the truth might be somewhat different.

George made a trade request shortly after the start of free agency and ended up being dealt to Los Angeles Clippers, where he teamed up with Kawhi Leonard. After that, Russell Westbrook also left OKC, heading to Houston Rockets. This officially marked the start of a rebuilding period for the Thunder, who saw first-round playoff exits in the previous three years.

Now, Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers claims that OKC wanted to “break their team up” all along after this lack of success which made it easier for his team to acquire Paul George.

“We showed [Leonard] everybody else, and he didn’t want to hear it.” – Rivers told Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times while guiding him through their free agency meeting with Leonard. “He just stayed on Paul George, so after the meeting we sat down and I said, ‘We got to get Paul George. I don’t know how we are going to do it, but we have to do it.’ We did know that Oklahoma City wanted to break their team up, so that helped, but we didn’t know if we could get him.”

Oklahoma City Thunder managed to pick up a bunch of draft picks from the Clippers in a George trade, while also getting forward Danilo Gallinari and talented point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Still, they are not expected to be any good anytime soon and will most likely spend the next several years at the bottom of the Western Conference.

The post OKC Wanted to “Break Their Team Up” Even Before Paul George Trade Claims Doc Rivers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The NBA world was rocked on Sunday when the news broke that Kawhi Leonard had made up his mind. After spending one magical season with the Toronto Raptors, the superstar was set to move on.

Leonard shocked many by agreeing to sign for the Los Angeles Clippers, the cross-town rivals of the Lakers, the team that many saw as being the co-favorites for the Raptors for his services.

The Raptors thanked the Kawhi with a tweet in which they expressed gratitude for the superstar’s role in bringing the first-ever NBA title to the city of Toronto.

While Leonard’s departure to the Clippers was big enough news in and of itself, what’s even more landscape-altering is the player that’ll go along to the Clippers with him – 2019 MVP finalist Paul George.

George agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Clippers, who intend to acquire the veteran small forward in a sign-and-trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. George was one of the top players in the league last season at the age of 28, averaging 28 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

Leonard wanted a superstar to go with him if he was to go back home to play in LA, and he got his wish.

Now, the Clippers became one of the favorites to take home the Western Conference crown and the NBA title in what promises to be an exciting 2019-20 NBA season.

The post Clippers Stun NBA, Acquire Kawhi Leonard and Paul George appeared first on SportzBonanza.

NBA released a statement yesterday saying that they will begin an investigation regarding the alleged tampering of Paul George by the Los Angeles Lakers following the request made by the Indiana Pacers. The Lakers denied the accusations, saying they expect everything to be sorted out soon since there is no evidence of tampering. It is believed that Magic Johnson, Lakers president of basketball operations, is at the center of the investigation.

Pacers suspect that Magic Johnson made a contact with Paul George while he was still their player. Under the regulations, officials of NBA teams can’t make any contacts with players (or their agents) about the possible move until the players’ free-agency year opens on July 1.

Paul George, 4 times NBA All-Star and the 10th pick in 2010 NBA draft, still had one year of his contract remaining but made it clear he doesn’t intend to sign an extension with Indiana Pacers and that his preferred destination is Los Angeles. This put Indiana Pacers in an awkward position, forcing them to choose between playing George for another year and losing him for nothing or trading him to another club. His publicly stated desire that he wants to play for Lakers didn’t help in the process, with the majority of teams unwilling to give up major assets for a player that would walk on them after a year. Oklahoma City Thunder was one of the teams willing to take a risk, sending Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to Indiana in exchange for George.

Several sources are saying that Pacers intended to file the charges even before they made a trade with OKC. If the tampering turns out to be true, LA Lakers could be in for a severe punishment. This includes losing draft picks, not being allowed to sign Paul George in the future or receiving a financial fine.

The post NBA Investigation Underway Due To Possible Tampering Of Paul George By LA Lakers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

All-Star forward Paul George followed up his recent comments about finishing his career with LA Clippers with actions on Thursday.

The Clippers announced that George inked a four-year extension that keeps him under contract through 2023-24. The deal also contains a player option for the 2024-25 season.

According to reports, the extension is worth $190 million, which puts George on track to earn $226 million in the next five years.

“I am proud to call this my home and look forward to doing my part in helping make the team a tremendous success—both on and off the court—in the years ahead,” said George after the deal became official.

Securing Paul George’s services was crucial for the Los Angeles Clippers, considering that he could have hit free agency next year. This would’ve been a nightmare scenario for the organization, after they gave up a massive package last year to bring him from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The trade saw the Clippers giving up perspective guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and veteran Danilo Gallinari while also sending five first-round draft picks and two pick-swap rights to OKC.

In his first year with Clippers, George struggled to perform on his All-NBA level from 2018-19. He averaged just 21.5 points per game, his lowest in an injury-free season since 2013, while also underperforming in the playoffs where Clippers blew 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semis against the Denver Nuggets.

The Clippers are now banking that George will return to All-Star level under new head coach Ty Lue, and that they can resurrect their NBA title hopes this season. The organization is probably also hoping that George’s commitment will prompt teammate Kawhi Leonard to do the same.

The post Paul George Signs a 4-Year, $190 Million Extension with Clippers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Los Angeles Clippers’ 107-103 overtime win against Boston Celtics on Wednesday night saw All-Stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard sharing the floor for the first time as teammates. But, as it turns out, George and Leonard could have played together a long time before joining Clippers this summer.

In a recent Ohm Youngmisuk’s recent cover story for ESPN, George revealed that he wanted Indiana Pacers to deal him to San Antonio Spurs in 2017 so he could team up with Leonard.

George informed Pacers in the summer of 2017 that he didn’t intend to resign with the franchise following the expiration of his contract next summer. It was widely presumed that he wanted to join Los Angeles Lakers as his top destination, but according to him Spurs were also high on the list.

“I wanted to be traded to San Antonio,” – said George. “We wanted to go to San Antonio first, and we didn’t make that happen.”

The league sources say that Spurs, in fact, did engage in talks with Pacers, but they lacked assets to make a compelling offer for an All-Star player. Indiana ended up trading George to Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo.

In their first game as Clippers, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard managed to put on a solid performance. George poured in 25 points to go with 5 assists and 8 rebounds while Leonard added 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

The post Paul George Wanted to Team up With Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio in 2017 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Oklahoma City Thunder parted ways with their All-Star duo Paul George and Russell Westbrook this offseason swiftly transforming themselves from a playoff contender to a lottery team. And while many believed that this process was kicked off by George’s trade request, it looks like the truth might be somewhat different.

George made a trade request shortly after the start of free agency and ended up being dealt to Los Angeles Clippers, where he teamed up with Kawhi Leonard. After that, Russell Westbrook also left OKC, heading to Houston Rockets. This officially marked the start of a rebuilding period for the Thunder, who saw first-round playoff exits in the previous three years.

Now, Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers claims that OKC wanted to “break their team up” all along after this lack of success which made it easier for his team to acquire Paul George.

“We showed [Leonard] everybody else, and he didn’t want to hear it.” – Rivers told Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times while guiding him through their free agency meeting with Leonard. “He just stayed on Paul George, so after the meeting we sat down and I said, ‘We got to get Paul George. I don’t know how we are going to do it, but we have to do it.’ We did know that Oklahoma City wanted to break their team up, so that helped, but we didn’t know if we could get him.”

Oklahoma City Thunder managed to pick up a bunch of draft picks from the Clippers in a George trade, while also getting forward Danilo Gallinari and talented point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Still, they are not expected to be any good anytime soon and will most likely spend the next several years at the bottom of the Western Conference.

The post OKC Wanted to “Break Their Team Up” Even Before Paul George Trade Claims Doc Rivers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The NBA world was rocked on Sunday when the news broke that Kawhi Leonard had made up his mind. After spending one magical season with the Toronto Raptors, the superstar was set to move on.

Leonard shocked many by agreeing to sign for the Los Angeles Clippers, the cross-town rivals of the Lakers, the team that many saw as being the co-favorites for the Raptors for his services.

The Raptors thanked the Kawhi with a tweet in which they expressed gratitude for the superstar’s role in bringing the first-ever NBA title to the city of Toronto.

While Leonard’s departure to the Clippers was big enough news in and of itself, what’s even more landscape-altering is the player that’ll go along to the Clippers with him – 2019 MVP finalist Paul George.

George agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Clippers, who intend to acquire the veteran small forward in a sign-and-trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. George was one of the top players in the league last season at the age of 28, averaging 28 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

Leonard wanted a superstar to go with him if he was to go back home to play in LA, and he got his wish.

Now, the Clippers became one of the favorites to take home the Western Conference crown and the NBA title in what promises to be an exciting 2019-20 NBA season.

The post Clippers Stun NBA, Acquire Kawhi Leonard and Paul George appeared first on SportzBonanza.

NBA released a statement yesterday saying that they will begin an investigation regarding the alleged tampering of Paul George by the Los Angeles Lakers following the request made by the Indiana Pacers. The Lakers denied the accusations, saying they expect everything to be sorted out soon since there is no evidence of tampering. It is believed that Magic Johnson, Lakers president of basketball operations, is at the center of the investigation.

Pacers suspect that Magic Johnson made a contact with Paul George while he was still their player. Under the regulations, officials of NBA teams can’t make any contacts with players (or their agents) about the possible move until the players’ free-agency year opens on July 1.

Paul George, 4 times NBA All-Star and the 10th pick in 2010 NBA draft, still had one year of his contract remaining but made it clear he doesn’t intend to sign an extension with Indiana Pacers and that his preferred destination is Los Angeles. This put Indiana Pacers in an awkward position, forcing them to choose between playing George for another year and losing him for nothing or trading him to another club. His publicly stated desire that he wants to play for Lakers didn’t help in the process, with the majority of teams unwilling to give up major assets for a player that would walk on them after a year. Oklahoma City Thunder was one of the teams willing to take a risk, sending Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to Indiana in exchange for George.

Several sources are saying that Pacers intended to file the charges even before they made a trade with OKC. If the tampering turns out to be true, LA Lakers could be in for a severe punishment. This includes losing draft picks, not being allowed to sign Paul George in the future or receiving a financial fine.

The post NBA Investigation Underway Due To Possible Tampering Of Paul George By LA Lakers appeared first on SportzBonanza.