The Golden State Warriors have had a largely quiet offseason, but they should be thanking the basketball gods that they didn’t make a huge mistake. Just last summer, the Warriors nearly traded Kevon Looney, Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, plus picks to the LA Clippers for Paul George.
Instead, the Clippers rejected their offer, and George entered free agency and signed a 5-year, $294 million contract. One year later, the Warriors striking out on George is looking much better now.
The Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler midseason, and while they didn’t go far in the playoffs, at least they don’t have the NBA’s worst contract. The Sixers will pay George a fully guaranteed $54 million on average over the next four years.
Despite that, he had just had left knee surgery in mid-July, and that could cause him to miss the start of next season. This is after he missed 43 games last season.
At 35 years old and with injuries piling up, it’s unlikely that he will ever be the same player he was before joining the Sixers. That proves that the Warriors dodged a major bullet.
The Warriors dodged a major bullet by not trading for Paul George
Golden State may still be a rotation player or two away from being a contender, but, luckily, they didn’t burn any assets in the deal for George. While they gave up a first-round pick in the deal for Butler, they still have most of their draft picks going forward.
That’s important, because it seems that they are keeping an eye toward the future with their best player, Steph Curry, being 37 years old. Butler is no spring chicken, either, with him being 36 years old.
They likely aren’t going to get much younger either, with Jonathan Kuminga potentially being traded this summer and the possible additions of Al Horford and Damian Lillard. Even so, both moves would allow them to maintain their flexibility as opposed to the Philadelphia 76ers, who could be handcuffed by George’s ugly contract.
George has four years and $216 million remaining on his contract. And please believe me when I say that he will do everything possible to collect on the remainder of his deal, even if he isn’t the same caliber of player he was when he first signed it.
Combine that with Joel Embiid’s contract, which will pay him $64 million on average over the next four years, and the Sixers future looks bleak. That’s with them potentially having nearly $120 million in dead salary going forward.
Compare that to Golden State, who has been reluctant to extend Kuminga at $30 million annually, and it seems that they are making far better decisions. It also helps them keep their powder dry for a bigger move down the road that could help them get back into contention.
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July 17, 2025 | 2:00 pm
