Paul George confirms just how painfully close Warriors trade was

Paul George inked a four-year, $212 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in the early morning hours of July 1. After contract talks broke down with the Los Angeles Clippers, the nine-time All-Star opted to forgo trade opportunities and enter unrestricted free agency. The Sixers were equipped with north of $60 million in cap space, allowing George to earn his full max contract while teaming up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

It's a perfect match on paper. George is the 3-and-D megastar Philadelphia has long lacked on the wing. He's going to spray 3s out of two-man actions with Joel Embiid, keep the floor stretched, and offer some complementary shot creation as the Sixers' third banana. He is a versatile defender, a proven scorer, and a levelheaded vet.

This feels like the natural outcome for George. And it almost didn't happen. As George laid out on his own podcast, he almost didn't reach free agency. He had the option to opt into the final year of his contract and request a trade. The Golden State Warriors were interested, but ultimately, talks fell through.

George detailed the sequence of events while lounging in his new Sixers gear on Podcast P.

Paul George claims Warriors trade was 'close to being done'

Golden State evidently made significant overtures to George, citing his clean fit alongside Curry, Green, and other members of the Warriors core. They even mentioned the possibility of Klay Thompson re-signing for one last run at glory.

"That was a real thing that was close to being done. That deal was close to being done from what I was being told on the situation, they was expressing just how much they wanted me there, how I could have fit in perfectly with Draymond [Green], Steph [Curry]. Klay [Thompson] probably would've stayed. [Brandin] Podziemski, [Jonathan] Kuminga, [Andrew] Wiggins. They didn't know how or what package was going to be there to trade for me…[Kevon] Looney was going to be there and so it was very intriguing and it was still an opportunity to stay close to home, stay on the West Coast, and it was a win-win. I think Steph is a unicorn, one of one player, and Joel's a unicorn…So it was kind of like a good situation to be in the middle of, but ultimately the deal didn't go through. I think Clippers didn't want a certain trade deal that Warriors were willing to give and yeah, it just didn't happen but it was close. It'd been dope, man. I was looking forward to it, if it happened."

Clearly this was George's Plan A once talks with the Clippers dissolved. The Warriors would have immediately extended him. A Warriors trade would have allowed George to stay on the west coast, closer to his LA-based family. Plus, there's a certain undeniable aesthetic appeal to working alongside Curry, Green, and Steve Kerr in the greatest offensive system of a generation. The Dubs have been on the struggle bus for a couple years now, but George would have put Golden State right back in the NBA Finals conversation.

Instead, the six-time All-NBA wing is in Philadelphia. It's notable that George lists every member of the Warriors' core as part of Golden State's pitch. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that the Dubs' unwillingness to include Jonathan Kuminga in trade talks contributed to the breakdown in communication. There was no way for Golden State to acquire George without shedding at least a couple names from that list of potential teammates.

Los Angeles opted against recouping value for George in exchange for him departing the division and the conference. The Clippers could have set themselves up for a future trade by dealing with Golden State, but George would be right up the coast with a chance to torment Los Angeles for the next four years. That is not a desirable setup.

This is a tough break for Warriors fans and a huge sigh of relief for the Sixers faithful, who now get to challenge Boston in the East with the NBA's most talented trio.