Paul George ‘off the table’ for Knicks as Clippers star asked for extension

The New York Knicks are unwilling to pay a hefty price just to see Paul George suiting up their royal blue and orange threads.

As relayed by Knicks reporter Alan Hahn on Monday’s segment of “Bart & Hahn” show, George is reportedly “off the table” now for the Knicks after the Los Angeles Clippers demanded an “expensive” return. As such, the club’s chase has ultimately shutted down upon the star swingman’s desire to receive a contract extension.

“They had a chance to get Paul George,” Hahn said on Bart and Hahn show. “They said it was too expensive, they don’t want to do it. They’ve already backed outta that. They talked to the Clippers, the Clippers gave what it would cost, then Paul George said ‘But I want an extension.’ And they said ‘We’re not doing that.’ And they walked away. So Paul George… as far as now goes, it’s off the table.”

Prior to the opening of this year’s free agency gates, it was Marc Stein who broke out that the Clippers have left an enticing impression on their rival teams that they do gauge the trade value of George. This eventually materialized as Andrew Greif and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times have noted that the Knicks and the Clippers “have had conversations about a potential trade” for George, and those talks “were initiated by New York.”

George is now eligible to ink an extension with the Clippers for up to $220 million for four years. Should he won’t be able to attain the lucrative deal, he may choose to opt out from his 2024-25 player option and seize another offer that will further secure his financial standing.

New York’s sudden hesitancy to go after George is considerably reasonable given the All-Star’s current injury history. Through the future hall of famer still has that high scoring production, he wasn’t able to suit up in more than 60 regular season games in any of his previous four campaigns in Los Angeles.

The Knicks still do boast a coveted draft treasure chest. With the sky high value that it holds and the strong contending status that they still do have regardless of any potential blockbuster trade, they certainly can keep up with the wait and just pull the trigger when the right time comes to land the final piece of their championship puzzle.