Warriors had very serious Paul George trade talks before contract decision

Paul George could be on the move, but it doesn’t appear as if he’ll join the Warriors.Although, that was reportedly a serious conversation prior to his decision to opt out of his Clippers deal and become one of the more high-profile unrestricted free agents this NBA offseason.

The Athletic noted there were “serious negotiations” that involved George potentially ending up with the Warriors before he officially decided to decline his $48 million player option for a long-term deal this summer.George was close to being a Warrior, the outlet reported.A trade package proposed by the Warriors included at least some of Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins as headliners, along with the expiring salary of Chris Paul, Moses Moody and a future first-round pick.

“Serious negotiations among the Warriors, George and the Clippers all the way through Saturday afternoon’s deadline for George’s contract decision and after the Warriors believed — several times — that they were on the verge of landing the 34-year-old small forward,” Tim Kawakami wrote in The Athletic.But with NBA free agency set to begin, the 76ers are reportedly optimistic that they’ll land George and assemble a lineup that also includes Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.George made the All-Star Game again in his fifth season with the Clippers, averaging 22.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game — helping them clinch a playoff berth before Los Angeles was eliminated by the Mavericks.The Warriors, after seemingly missing their chance to land George, will also need to replace Klay Thompson, too, with The Athletic reporting Saturday that the team is “preparing” for the guard to leave in free agency.Once Thompson officially becomes a free agent, the Lakers, Clippers and Mavericks are reportedly expected to express interest in inking him to a contract.And that’ll force Golden State to continue to search for options to complement Stephen Curry and Draymond Green in its lineup....