The New York Knicks put themselves back on the NBA map this season with a thrilling playoff run amidst a relentless wave of injuries. They reportedly aren't planning to rest on their laurels and run back the same group in hopes of better health next year, though.
Fred Katz of The Athletic recently reported that the Knicks are "targeting the upcoming summer as the time to trade" for another star player. With Julius Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic heading into the final year of their contracts—Randle has a $32.4 million player option in 2025-26 that he figures to decline—the Knicks have nearly $50 million in expiring salary that they could use in a trade for a star.
After seeing how the Knicks battled in the playoffs, Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George should at least consider forcing his way to New York this offseason via an opt-in-and-trade. That might put him closer to championship contention than he would be if he re-signs with the Clippers or signs with the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent.
George can become an unrestricted free agent this summer by declining his $48.8 million player option for the 2024-25 season, but the Knicks can't create enough salary-cap space to sign him as a free agent. Luckily, George's player option gives him leverage over the Clippers if he decides not to re-sign with them.
George has been eligible all season to sign a four-year extension with the Clippers worth up to $221.1 million, but the two sides have yet to reach an agreement. While the Clippers have expressed interest in re-signing George, they don't appear willing to give him a full four-year max deal. Both Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer reported that the Clippers haven't offered George more than the three-year, $149.7 million extension that they signed Kawhi Leonard to in January.
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If that's a deal-breaker for George, he could look to exert pressure on the Clippers by threatening to opt out and sign elsewhere in free agency, leaving them empty-handed. The Sixers, who can create upward of $65 million in cap space this offseason, are an obvious team to leverage in that regard. They can offer him a four-year, $212.2 million contract.
George could widen his options if he's willing to pick up his player option as part of an opt-in-and-trade. If the Clippers refuse to work with him, they'd run the risk of losing him for nothing in free agency. That might slam the door shut on their chances of contending for a championship with Leonard.
If George leaves in free agency, the Clippers wouldn't gain $45-plus million of salary-cap space to spend on someone else. If (when) P.J. Tucker picks up his $11.5 million player option for the 2024-25 season, the Clippers will have nearly $114 million in guaranteed salary on their books. The 2024-25 cap is currently projected to land at $141 million, which means the Clippers will likely be over the cap if they re-sign James Harden, regardless of what happens with George.
Depending on how much Harden earns next year, the Clippers might be able to gain access to the $12.9 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception if George leaves. The odds of them finding someone as impactful as George at that price point are roughly nil, though. If they were getting more value back for George in a sign-and-trade, they'd have to consider it if he's otherwise serious about leaving them in free agency.
The Knicks already have an alpha scorer in Jalen Brunson, who finished fifth in MVP voting this past season, so they wouldn't need George to slot in as their No. 1 option. They also figure to re-sign OG Anunoby in free agency, who would be a high-end No. 3 next to Brunson and George. Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson all had standout moments throughout this recent playoff run, and the Knicks' future would look even brighter if they also manage to re-sign Isaiah Hartenstein this offseason.
An eight-man rotation featuring Brunson, Hart, DiVincenzo, George, Anunoby, McBride, Hartenstein and Robinson should be able to hold its own against any other in the East, even the Finals-bound Boston Celtics. At worst, the Knicks would likely enter the 2024-25 season as the second-best team in the East.
If a George trade costs them only Randle, Bogdanovic and a handful of first-round picks—the Knicks have two this year, as many as four next year and all of their own moving forward—it should be a relative no-brainer.
The Knicks already have Hart, DiVincenzo and McBride under contract through 2026-27, while Robinson is under contract through 2025-26. If they're able to re-sign Anunoby and Hartenstein this summer, they'd have their entire core locked up other than Brunson, who has a $25.0 million player option for 2025-26 that he's almost certain to decline.
With that said, Steve Popper of Newsday recently reported that Brunson might be amenable to signing a four-year, $156 million extension this offseason. That'd be a huge discount compared to the five-year deal worth nearly $270 million that he could sign as a free agent in 2025.
Having a supporting cast locked up long-term is a major advantage for the Knicks over both the Clippers and Sixers. Leonard and Norman Powell are the only two Clippers players who are on guaranteed contracts beyond 2024-25, while Joel Embiid enters this offseason as the only Sixers player on a guaranteed contract. Tyrese Maxey will soon join him in that regard, but the Sixers might have to build a supporting cast nearly from scratch if they sign George in free agency.
Again, an opt-in-and-trade to the Knicks would likely hinge on George exerting his leverage over the Clippers by threatening to leave as a free agent instead. It would also hard-cap the Knicks at the second apron since they're aggregating contracts, but that shouldn't be a concern even if they sign both George and Anunoby to their respective max salaries ($49.4 million and $42.3 million).
If winning a championship is George's top priority, he should at least consider picking up his player option and forcing a trade elsewhere. Once he scans his options, the Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder stand out as the two best landing spots.
George already spent two seasons in Oklahoma City and had a career year there—he finished third in MVP voting in 2018-19—so he might be interested in a reunion now that they have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams in place. The Thunder can create up to $37.9 million in cap space this summer, so the Clippers could send George there for a handful of young players and draft picks.
But if George believes the Knicks are more ready to win right now than the up-and-coming Thunder, he has the leverage to force his way to his preferred destination, unlike Damian Lillard last summer with the Portland Trail Blazers. Lillard was under contract, so he had no recourse if the Blazers didn't trade him. George could just threaten to opt out and leave the Clippers in free agency, which is the last thing they can afford.
So, George shouldn't just limit his options to re-signing with the Clippers or signing with a team that has enough cap space to give him a max contract. His player option ($48.8 million) and max salary ($49.4 million) are close enough that he wouldn't be sacrificing much financially by picking up the former. If he picks up his player option as part of an opt-in-and-trade, he'd have a far wider range of teams from which to choose as his next destination.
Few (if any) would give him a better shot at contending for a championship than the Knicks.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
