Paul George Signs 4 Year $190 Mil Extension

[Vae Victus]

Neither Dragic or Bledsore are the real answers anyway for the Clippers anyway, but i feel either one would provide more than what a constantly injured PatBev gives.

The general board reaction is quite funny. You can immedietely filter out the idiot haters from real basketball fans with any level of insight. Was this deal good overall? Hell no, but was it the best that we can hope for in our current situation, yup. Moves cant be solely judged in vacuum, unless you got an agenda you're trying to push forward.

I'm really confident Kawhi will re-sign at the end of the year. i dont feel PG13 would make this move if he thinks Kawhi will bolt, cuz this deal 100% would be available to him next year unless he suffers serious injury. Kawhi would be giving up some fat cash in home team 8.5% raises and year 5 for bolting.

[TheNewEra]

Neither Dragic or Bledsore are the real answers anyway for the Clippers anyway, but i feel either one would provide more than what a constantly injured PatBev gives.

The general board reaction is quite funny. You can immedietely filter out the idiot haters from real basketball fans with any level of insight. Was this deal good overall? Hell no, but was it the best that we can hope for in our current situation, yup. Moves cant be solely judged in vacuum, unless you got an agenda you're trying to push forward.

I'm really confident Kawhi will re-sign at the end of the year. i dont feel PG13 would make this move if he thinks Kawhi will bolt, cuz this deal 100% would be available to him next year unless he suffers serious injury. Kawhi would be giving up some fat cash in home team 8.5% raises and year 5 for bolting.

Mods on the general board haven’t been doing **** about all the troll bait topics but let someone call out the lakers it gets locked. Disgusting

[Captain Ballmer]

You are a clown. I used to doubt myself am i going too far with calling you that, but now I don't.

Person attacks are against forum rules

[Young Sterling]

When I saw news that Giannis and Harden were demanding trades, I wondering if any comparable superstars were on the market or available for trade. I immediately thought of George, but the problem was he was on an expiring. I think the FO is going BIG game hunting right now.

Imagine trading PG for Giannis and having a lineup of:

Pat Bev
Marcus Morris
Kawhi
Giannis
Ibaka

Or now if you wanted to trade PG for Lowry, we can ask for more back in return given the length of his contract. This contract gives the FO sooooo much leverage in a trade moving forward! You better bet Houston and Bucks are doing some serious thinking about dealing with the Clippers. What other team can and is WILLING to put up a Paul George level all star on the trade block? Nobody except Bucks and Rockets.

[esqtvd]

Neither Dragic or Bledsore are the real answers anyway for the Clippers anyway, but i feel either one would provide more than what a constantly injured PatBev gives.

The general board reaction is quite funny. You can immedietely filter out the idiot haters from real basketball fans with any level of insight. Was this deal good overall? Hell no, but was it the best that we can hope for in our current situation, yup. Moves cant be solely judged in vacuum, unless you got an agenda you're trying to push forward.

I'm really confident Kawhi will re-sign at the end of the year. i dont feel PG13 would make this move if he thinks Kawhi will bolt, cuz this deal 100% would be available to him next year unless he suffers serious injury. Kawhi would be giving up some fat cash in home team 8.5% raises and year 5 for bolting.

Get the cash NOW if the Clippers are willing to pay top dollar when PG's stock is at its lowest. The future will sort itself out.

As for Kawhi, no human being can read him and frankly I don't think he has a plan past this season anyway. Frankly I don't think the Clippers do either. Everybody's playing it day-to-day.

Read on Twitter

lol

Read on Twitter

[og15]

The extension makes sense, no use pouring all those assets into him, then losing him for nothing with no ability to get any similar player back. This also gives George some peace of mind for this season because it activates a 6 month no-trade clause. This doesn't mean George can't be traded in the future, and this is in no way an untradeable contract, I think we should have learned that by now.

Kawhi on the other hand can't extend his contract yet even if he wanted to. Here are the contract extension guidelines:

General Rules —

Contracts covering 1 or 2 seasons (including any option year) cannot be extended.

Contracts covering 3 or 4 seasons (including any option year) may be extended on the second anniversary of being signed.

Contracts covering 5 or 6 seasons (including any option year) may be extended on the third anniversary of being signed.

Kawhi would only be eligible for an extension next season after July 9, 2021, so Kawhi not being extended says nothing about his level of commitment or lack thereof.

I think people get too stuck on the "max contract" label. Basically all the top 20-25 players in the league are going to get max contracts. This is more a commentary on the best of the best players being underpaid than anything else. Paul George is easily in the top 20 players in the NBA. I always find it funny that people get surprised at top 20-ish players getting the max contract that they are eligible for as if there is some precedent for it not to happen.

EDIT: Meant to say underpaid not overpaid

[NickP]

The extension makes sense, no use pouring all those assets into him, then losing him for nothing with no ability to get any similar player back. This also gives George some peace of mind for this season because it activates a 6 month no-trade clause. This doesn't mean George can't be traded in the future, and this is in no way an untradeable contract, I think we should have learned that by now.

Kawhi on the other hand can't extend his contract yet even if he wanted to. Here are the contract extension guidelines:

General Rules —

Contracts covering 1 or 2 seasons (including any option year) cannot be extended.

Contracts covering 3 or 4 seasons (including any option year) may be extended on the second anniversary of being signed.

Contracts covering 5 or 6 seasons (including any option year) may be extended on the third anniversary of being signed.

Kawhi would only be eligible for an extension next season after July 9, 2021, so Kawhi not being extended says nothing about his level of commitment or lack thereof.

I think people get too stuck on the "max contract" label. Basically all the top 20-25 players in the league are going to get max contracts. This is more a commentary on the best of the best players being overpaid than anything else. Paul George is easily in the top 20 players in the NBA. I always find it funny that people get surprised at top 20-ish players getting the max contract that they are eligible for as if there is some precedent for it not to happen.

100% agree. There are players who are not even top 20 getting Max deals. The nature of deals has changed completely in the NBA.
The notion that Kawhi and PG would bolt after the season are baseless.

[donemilio21]

There are 24 players who make more than $30M a year this year.
Out of that 24:
I would categorize for their respective contract amounts (Lillard at $31M vs Curry at $43M is not the same)
5 as extremely overpaid for what they will bring to their teams this year. (Kevin Love, Tobias Harris, John Wall, Klay Thompson, Chris Paul)
9 as over paid (Westbrook, Griffin, Mike Conley, Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward, Ben Simmons, Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Middleton)
2 as on the border or unknown/their performance will tell (Paul George, Steph Curry)
4 as good value (Kevin Durant, James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie)
4 as underpaid (Lillard, Lebron, AD, Kawhi)

This obviously is subjective and you can argue the categorization, but I think it does highlight that more than half of the big contracts given out becomes a bad deal for the team. I think PG has a good chance to be a good value deal for the next 2-3 years, and drop to overpaid category for 4-5. As long as he does not end up in that "extremely overpaid" category, I think we can all live with this contract. If he drops to the "overpaid" category right off the bat, then it would be a failure for the franchise as this contract will have a ripple effect, along with the draft picks given out.

[og15]

There are 24 players who make more than $30M a year this year.
Out of that 24:
I would categorize for their respective contract amounts (Lillard at $31M vs Curry at $43M is not the same)
5 as extremely overpaid for what they will bring to their teams this year. (Kevin Love, Tobias Harris, John Wall, Klay Thompson, Chris Paul)
9 as over paid (Westbrook, Griffin, Mike Conley, Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward, Ben Simmons, Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Middleton)
2 as on the border or unknown/their performance will tell (Paul George, Steph Curry)
4 as good value (Kevin Durant, James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie)
4 as underpaid (Lillard, Lebron, AD, Kawhi)

This obviously is subjective and you can argue the categorization, but I think it does highlight that more than half of the big contracts given out becomes a bad deal for the team. I think PG has a good chance to be a good value deal for the next 2-3 years, and drop to overpaid category for 4-5. As long as he does not end up in that "extremely overpaid" category, I think we can all live with this contract. If he drops to the "overpaid" category right off the bat, then it would be a failure for the franchise as this contract will have a ripple effect, along with the draft picks given out.

Yup, this is the inevitable result of the max contract, and those 30+ million players are only going to increase. Also, the 40+ million will increase once Butler and Kawhi get new contracts, as well as young guys like Embiid and Jokic, etc

Certainly at the tail end of his contract he will be overpaid, this is extending until he's like 35 years old, but that's par the course for contracts for players at this age excluding someone like LeBron.

[donemilio21]

Yup, this is the inevitable result of the max contract, and those 30+ million players are only going to increase. Also, the 40+ million will increase once Butler and Kawhi get new contracts, as well as young guys like Embiid and Jokic, etc

Certainly at the tail end of his contract he will be overpaid, this is extending until he's like 35 years old, but that's par the course for contracts for players at this age excluding someone like LeBron.

exactly. Perspectives change, 3 years from now we may very well see PG's contract as a decent one, similar to how Mike Conley's contract was looked at in 2016 vs in 2019.

[esqtvd]

Yup, this is the inevitable result of the max contract, and those 30+ million players are only going to increase. Also, the 40+ million will increase once Butler and Kawhi get new contracts, as well as young guys like Embiid and Jokic, etc

Certainly at the tail end of his contract he will be overpaid, this is extending until he's like 35 years old, but that's par the course for contracts for players at this age excluding someone like LeBron.

exactly. Perspectives change, 3 years from now we may very well see PG's contract as a decent one, similar to how Mike Conley's contract was looked at in 2016 vs in 2019.

OTOH the NBA [and its sal cap number] may have peaked. Disregarding the weird 2020 thing completely, ratings have been heading southward for a decade.

And as moi noted above, NOBODY knows what Kawhi will do--not even Kawhi. The Clippers have gone all-in on the player they didn't necessarily choose...or want. [It was Kawhi who made acquiring PG his price for signing here.]

Read on Twitter

George wouldn’t speak for Leonard and his future, but he said that he consulted with Leonard before agreeing to his extension and is hopeful that his co-star will remain with the team for the foreseeable future.

“It’s not putting a gun to Kawhi and telling him, ‘He’s gotta do this or do that,'” George said. “Hopefully, it’s a mutual bond and we both enjoy playing with one another. Everybody has got their own decisions to make and hopefully, me showing my commitment, being here and wanting to play with him long term, sticks out.”

[Young Sterling]

Ok so just FYI there are members of the Clippers org on this forum, so what are some smart trade ideas yall can think of for Paul George or PG + Pat Bev or Zubac for a 20 million dollar filler. Some trade ideas I was thinking to solve our needs.

Paul George + Combination of Pat, Zu, etc for:

1. Bucks= Jrue Holiday + Brook Lopez
2. Wizards= Westbrook + Center/Young player
3. Toronto= Kyle Lowry/FVV + Aron Baynes/OG + Picks
4. Miami Heat= Bam Adebayo + Duncan
5. Warriors= Steph Curry
6. Cavs= Kevin Love + Andre Drummond

What trade ideas do yall got?

[KL78192020]

To be honest, I don't see anyway we move PG after this contract. Even we strike out in the Playoffs and Kawhi leaves next summer, PG probably stays for retirement. The Org. needs a familiar face in heading to new arena. You can't be empty while LBJ&AD are hanging across the hall.

By the way, book it 2021 All-Nba first team Paul George.

Kawhi isn't going anywhere wanted to be in LA his whole career. He signed the 2 year deal so he can sign as a 10 year vet he gets more money. So the two year deal was logical from a money perspective.

[madmaxmedia]

The extension makes sense, no use pouring all those assets into him, then losing him for nothing with no ability to get any similar player back. This also gives George some peace of mind for this season because it activates a 6 month no-trade clause. This doesn't mean George can't be traded in the future, and this is in no way an untradeable contract, I think we should have learned that by now.

Kawhi on the other hand can't extend his contract yet even if he wanted to. Here are the contract extension guidelines:

General Rules —

Contracts covering 1 or 2 seasons (including any option year) cannot be extended.

Contracts covering 3 or 4 seasons (including any option year) may be extended on the second anniversary of being signed.

Contracts covering 5 or 6 seasons (including any option year) may be extended on the third anniversary of being signed.

Kawhi would only be eligible for an extension next season after July 9, 2021, so Kawhi not being extended says nothing about his level of commitment or lack thereof.

I think people get too stuck on the "max contract" label. Basically all the top 20-25 players in the league are going to get max contracts. This is more a commentary on the best of the best players being underpaid than anything else. Paul George is easily in the top 20 players in the NBA. I always find it funny that people get surprised at top 20-ish players getting the max contract that they are eligible for as if there is some precedent for it not to happen.

EDIT: Meant to say underpaid not overpaid

Right- every team has room to sign at least 1 max contract (most structure their payroll to have room for two), the idea you have to be some sort of AAA superstar to earn a max contract makes no economic sense. There are not enough transcendant superstars to go around, its a simple matter of supply and demand. The best value in the NBA is a AAA superstar, the 2nd best value is a great young player on a rookie contract (which are hard to come by as well.) We are doing pretty good with our payroll.

Paul George is a max contract player, Kawhi is worth more than a max contract (assuming in reasonably good health.) If Kawhi re-signs with us, I would ride that combo until the end.

[esqtvd]

I think people get too stuck on the "max contract" label. Basically all the top 20-25 players in the league are going to get max contracts. This is more a commentary on the best of the best players being underpaid than anything else. Paul George is easily in the top 20 players in the NBA. I always find it funny that people get surprised at top 20-ish players getting the max contract that they are eligible for as if there is some precedent for it not to happen.

EDIT: Meant to say underpaid not overpaid

Right- every team has room to sign at least 1 max contract (most structure their payroll to have room for two), the idea you have to be some sort of AAA superstar to earn a max contract makes no economic sense. There are not enough transcendant superstars to go around, its a simple matter of supply and demand. The best value in the NBA is a AAA superstar, the 2nd best value is a great young player on a rookie contract (which are hard to come by as well.) We are doing pretty good with our payroll.

Paul George is a max contract player, Kawhi is worth more than a max contract (assuming in reasonably good health.) If Kawhi re-signs with us, I would ride that combo until the end.

You guys have hit on perhaps THE key part of the equation that is seldom mentioned--yes, there is great value in young players outplaying their rookie contracts but perhaps the greatest value is that handful of megastars who are outplaying even a max contract--LeBron, Steph, Giannis and probably Kawhi and a few others. Without one, a championship is unlikely, almost impossible.

I have to think the Clippers signed PG with almost the sole purpose of getting Kawhi to stay. Forget the massive amount we spent to acquire PG, which is a sunk cost.

If he were just a standard Free Agent on the open market without Kawhi being a factor, do you think the Clippers would have signed him to this contract? Does anybody out there think so?

[Clemenza]

Of course its all about the post season but so far PG looks good early on. Might even be back to his MVP candidate form.

[NickP]

I think people get too stuck on the "max contract" label. Basically all the top 20-25 players in the league are going to get max contracts. This is more a commentary on the best of the best players being underpaid than anything else. Paul George is easily in the top 20 players in the NBA. I always find it funny that people get surprised at top 20-ish players getting the max contract that they are eligible for as if there is some precedent for it not to happen.

EDIT: Meant to say underpaid not overpaid

Right- every team has room to sign at least 1 max contract (most structure their payroll to have room for two), the idea you have to be some sort of AAA superstar to earn a max contract makes no economic sense. There are not enough transcendant superstars to go around, its a simple matter of supply and demand. The best value in the NBA is a AAA superstar, the 2nd best value is a great young player on a rookie contract (which are hard to come by as well.) We are doing pretty good with our payroll.

Paul George is a max contract player, Kawhi is worth more than a max contract (assuming in reasonably good health.) If Kawhi re-signs with us, I would ride that combo until the end.

You guys have hit on perhaps THE key part of the equation that is seldom mentioned--yes, there is great value in young players outplaying their rookie contracts but perhaps the greatest value is that handful of megastars who are outplaying even a max contract--LeBron, Steph, Giannis and probably Kawhi and a few others. Without one, a championship is unlikely, almost impossible.

I have to think the Clippers signed PG with almost the sole purpose of getting Kawhi to stay. Forget the massive amount we spent to acquire PG, which is a sunk cost.

If he were just a standard Free Agent on the open market without Kawhi being a factor, do you think the Clippers would have signed him to this contract? Does anybody out there think so?

If PG was out in the open market as a FA then there would be plenty of teams with cap space in line to sign him for the Max deal. Clippers included. Hayward signed a near Max deal. There are guys signing Max deals that have no business signing Max deals. In a so called bad year PG averaged close to 22 ppg. If he returns to his true form then the gamble pays off.

[esqtvd]

Right- every team has room to sign at least 1 max contract (most structure their payroll to have room for two), the idea you have to be some sort of AAA superstar to earn a max contract makes no economic sense. There are not enough transcendant superstars to go around, its a simple matter of supply and demand. The best value in the NBA is a AAA superstar, the 2nd best value is a great young player on a rookie contract (which are hard to come by as well.) We are doing pretty good with our payroll.

Paul George is a max contract player, Kawhi is worth more than a max contract (assuming in reasonably good health.) If Kawhi re-signs with us, I would ride that combo until the end.

You guys have hit on perhaps THE key part of the equation that is seldom mentioned--yes, there is great value in young players outplaying their rookie contracts but perhaps the greatest value is that handful of megastars who are outplaying even a max contract--LeBron, Steph, Giannis and probably Kawhi and a few others. Without one, a championship is unlikely, almost impossible.

I have to think the Clippers signed PG with almost the sole purpose of getting Kawhi to stay. Forget the massive amount we spent to acquire PG, which is a sunk cost.

If he were just a standard Free Agent on the open market without Kawhi being a factor, do you think the Clippers would have signed him to this contract? Does anybody out there think so?

If PG was out in the open market as a FA then there would be plenty of teams with cap space in line to sign him for the Max deal. Clippers included. Hayward signed a near Max deal. There are guys signing Max deals that have no business signing Max deals. In a so called bad year PG averaged close to 22 ppg. If he returns to his true form then the gamble pays off.

Yes, Nick, you're certainly correct that SOME teams would have scooped PG up at that price. Gordon Hayward at the butt end of the NBA universe in Charlotte is the perfect example. And both are better than Tobias Harris, who got the near-max as the Sixers' 3rd wheel.

What we're saying here is that a deep-pockets contender [and the Clippers have the deepest] would not have bought him at market price, at least not as their foundational FA. If Kawhi weren't already here and RESPONSIBLE for the Clippers trading away the farm to acquire PG in the first place, no, I don't think they make this deal.

As I wrote and so did Andrew Greif and every other dispassionate observer, there is no confidence Kawhi will re-sign with the Clips, only hope.

True, but how long do these Clippers have? George’s extension locks him in through at least the 2023-2024 season, but Leonard —the larger of the two pillars — can opt out at the end of this season. The two-time Finals MVP already forced his way out of San Antonio, leaving a $221-million supermax deal behind, then said goodbye to the championship confetti and $190-million max deal in Toronto a year later. Predicting Leonard’s next move is tricky to say the least. If money or a chance to repeat isn’t enough to keep him, what will?

If money or a chance to repeat isn’t enough to keep him, what will?

Well, I think the Clippers are hoping that PG will. They don't have much else beyond Serge, since Phoenix is just as close to Kawhi's mansion in San Diego by air/car as Staples is.

And Serge's contract next year is a PLAYER option. They could both be with the Suns this time next year. Just sayin', bro. I'm not here to fight with you.

[NickP]

You guys have hit on perhaps THE key part of the equation that is seldom mentioned--yes, there is great value in young players outplaying their rookie contracts but perhaps the greatest value is that handful of megastars who are outplaying even a max contract--LeBron, Steph, Giannis and probably Kawhi and a few others. Without one, a championship is unlikely, almost impossible.

I have to think the Clippers signed PG with almost the sole purpose of getting Kawhi to stay. Forget the massive amount we spent to acquire PG, which is a sunk cost.

If he were just a standard Free Agent on the open market without Kawhi being a factor, do you think the Clippers would have signed him to this contract? Does anybody out there think so?

If PG was out in the open market as a FA then there would be plenty of teams with cap space in line to sign him for the Max deal. Clippers included. Hayward signed a near Max deal. There are guys signing Max deals that have no business signing Max deals. In a so called bad year PG averaged close to 22 ppg. If he returns to his true form then the gamble pays off.

Yes, Nick, you're certainly correct that SOME teams would have scooped PG up at that price. Gordon Hayward at the butt end of the NBA universe in Charlotte is the perfect example. And both are better than Tobias Harris, who got the near-max as the Sixers' 3rd wheel.

What we're saying here is that a deep-pockets contender [and the Clippers have the deepest] would not have bought him at market price, at least not as their foundational FA. If Kawhi weren't already here and RESPONSIBLE for the Clippers trading away the farm to acquire PG in the first place, no, I don't think they make this deal.

As I wrote and so did Andrew Greif and every other dispassionate observer, there is no confidence Kawhi will re-sign with the Clips, only hope.

True, but how long do these Clippers have? George’s extension locks him in through at least the 2023-2024 season, but Leonard —the larger of the two pillars — can opt out at the end of this season. The two-time Finals MVP already forced his way out of San Antonio, leaving a $221-million supermax deal behind, then said goodbye to the championship confetti and $190-million max deal in Toronto a year later. Predicting Leonard’s next move is tricky to say the least. If money or a chance to repeat isn’t enough to keep him, what will?

If money or a chance to repeat isn’t enough to keep him, what will?

Well, I think the Clippers are hoping that PG will. They don't have much else beyond Serge, since Phoenix is just as close to Kawhi's mansion in San Diego by air/car as Staples is.

And Serge's contract next year is a PLAYER option. They could both be with the Suns this time next year. Just sayin', bro. I'm not here to fight with you.

Then I disagree with you bro because I disagree with everyone that thinks Kawhi is gone of we don't win it all. Nothing to add more.

[Clemenza]

You guys have hit on perhaps THE key part of the equation that is seldom mentioned--yes, there is great value in young players outplaying their rookie contracts but perhaps the greatest value is that handful of megastars who are outplaying even a max contract--LeBron, Steph, Giannis and probably Kawhi and a few others. Without one, a championship is unlikely, almost impossible.

I have to think the Clippers signed PG with almost the sole purpose of getting Kawhi to stay. Forget the massive amount we spent to acquire PG, which is a sunk cost.

If he were just a standard Free Agent on the open market without Kawhi being a factor, do you think the Clippers would have signed him to this contract? Does anybody out there think so?

If PG was out in the open market as a FA then there would be plenty of teams with cap space in line to sign him for the Max deal. Clippers included. Hayward signed a near Max deal. There are guys signing Max deals that have no business signing Max deals. In a so called bad year PG averaged close to 22 ppg. If he returns to his true form then the gamble pays off.

Yes, Nick, you're certainly correct that SOME teams would have scooped PG up at that price. Gordon Hayward at the butt end of the NBA universe in Charlotte is the perfect example. And both are better than Tobias Harris, who got the near-max as the Sixers' 3rd wheel.

What we're saying here is that a deep-pockets contender [and the Clippers have the deepest] would not have bought him at market price, at least not as their foundational FA. If Kawhi weren't already here and RESPONSIBLE for the Clippers trading away the farm to acquire PG in the first place, no, I don't think they make this deal.

As I wrote and so did Andrew Greif and every other dispassionate observer, there is no confidence Kawhi will re-sign with the Clips, only hope.

True, but how long do these Clippers have? George’s extension locks him in through at least the 2023-2024 season, but Leonard —the larger of the two pillars — can opt out at the end of this season. The two-time Finals MVP already forced his way out of San Antonio, leaving a $221-million supermax deal behind, then said goodbye to the championship confetti and $190-million max deal in Toronto a year later. Predicting Leonard’s next move is tricky to say the least. If money or a chance to repeat isn’t enough to keep him, what will?

If money or a chance to repeat isn’t enough to keep him, what will?

Well, I think the Clippers are hoping that PG will. They don't have much else beyond Serge, since Phoenix is just as close to Kawhi's mansion in San Diego by air/car as Staples is.

And Serge's contract next year is a PLAYER option. They could both be with the Suns this time next year. Just sayin', bro. I'm not here to fight with you.

I don't see Kawhi leaving at all. The only threat to me was the Lakers but they threw all their dough at Bron & AD and rightfully so. Both him and PG are home literally and figuratively and right where they want to be in life. He's finally in LA, the team is his, the front office caters to him, his oddball personality & load management, for better or worse, is already accepted within the team's structure, and if we win there's big money to be made in LA. Go to Phoenix and he's gotta deal with the oddball owner Sarver, its Booker's team, CP3 is second in the pecking order, new teammates, new coach, new offense, its not Southern California anymore which he fought and manipulated to get to, etc. Unless we somehow have an even worse meltdown than last season's bubble and all the players want to strangle each other Kawhi's is not going anywhere. Its easier said than done.. Plus he needs to ball out this season, take some leadership up with the team and not to mention we gotta see how his leg is holding up in a year or so. Ibaka is old. Why would the Suns want him? Ballmer wants to win first and foremost. If we don't have a nice playoff run the coddling of players and massaging egos will be over with.