With 74 losses and just a single playoff series win to show for the past two seasons, the Golden State Warriors need a transformational summer to get back into the championship race.
They seemingly have a clear—if ambitious—idea of how to make that happen.
The Warriors, per NBA insider Marc Stein, have "prioritized" pursuing Los Angeles Clippers swingman (and nine-time All-Star) Paul George, along with other targets, over negotiating with free agent and franchise mainstay Klay Thompson. George must decide by today whether to pick up his $48.8 million player option, and there has already been talk that he could opt into his deal and then seek a trade out of L.A.
While one could debate whether the Warriors have more to offer than the (perpetually when-healthy asterisked) Clippers do on the court, but Golden State's reported willingness to give George the kind of coin he wants might make that a moot point. Plus, there are worse ways to spend an NBA career than side-kicking with Steph Curry and helping the franchise chase what would be its fifth title since 2015.
The Warriors, meanwhile, need a difference-maker to rejoin the championship race, and George might be the best option among realistically available targets. A deal might take a huge chunk out of the organization's asset collection, but if Golden State sees him as its proverbial missing piece, that's a sacrifice worth making.
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