There have been plenty of Los Angeles Clippers rumors already this offseason about the direction the team could head in. After agreeing to an extension with their head coach Tyronn Lue, the focus has shifted to the roster. Mainly, veterans Paul George and James Harden.
Both are set to be free agents this summer. The Clippers would reportedly like to continue the relationship with both, giving them a Big 3 along with Kawhi Leonard. That is about the best Los Angeles can hope to do given their current salary cap situation.
Out of the two, George is the one who has been involved in the most Clippers rumors about potentially being on the move. He has been linked to the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic as potential landing spots.
Alas, the same kind of chatter isn’t surrounding James Harden. As shared by Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, all signs are pointing toward him returning to the team. “It’s unclear what would happen if the Clippers went in a different direction, but so far, there’s no buzz to suggest that’s coming,” Pincus wrote.
Pincus also took a shot at estimating what James Harden’s next contract could look like. Given the perceived lack of interest in him around the league, a max contract seems unattainable. Unless one of the franchises with ample cap space makes a run at him, he will have to settle for what the Clippers offer.
In Pincus’s opinion, that could come in at about $30 million annually. That is likely a fair deal for both sides, as Los Angeles doesn’t have avenues to replace Harden’s production and he likely won’t receive more on the open market.
But, you can expect Clippers rumors to continue swirling in the coming weeks. SOmething could change between now and then, especially if ownership decides they want to go away from the Big 3 model.
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