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Paul George was in serious consideration to join Kawhi Leonard on the Raptors before ultimately choosing the Clippers
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    Paul George was in serious consideration to join Kawhi Leonard on the Raptors before ultimately choosing the Clippers

    On the day the Toronto Raptors made their signings of Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley official, with the tagline “future starts now,” it didn’t stop some from looking into the past.

    Paul George, within hours of being officially introduced as a Philadelphia 76er on Monday, released a new episode of his show Podcast P with Paul George to go over topics like his departure from the Los Angeles Clippers.

    While doing so, he outlined how close the last five seasons in his hometown came to not happening, as there was a real possibility he could’ve joined Kawhi Leonard on the Raptors following their 2019 championship run.

    “I was close to going to Toronto,” George said. “We were deciding to go to Toronto or the Clippers, ultimately the Clippers put … a better trade package together that sent me to LA.

    “But I was close, he was going to re-sign to Toronto and we were going to go to Toronto.”

    Oh, what could have been.

    Instead, Leonard — fresh off capturing Finals MVP while leading the Raptors to their first title in franchise history — opted to go home.

    The six-time All-Star ended up signing a three-year, $103 million deal to join the Clippers — choosing that over a potential five-year, $190 contract he could’ve gotten to re-sign in Toronto to run it back.

    And the trade the Clippers made to acquire George from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the one that supposedly outbid the Raptors, included Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, four unprotected first-round picks, one protected first-rounder and two pick swaps.

    Since joining forces in 2019, it’s hard to imagine things have panned out how the duo or the Clippers organization had envisioned. Both George and Leonard missed chunks of time throughout the last five years due to various injuries, subsequently winning just two playoff series in that span.

    The furthest the pair could take LA in the postseason was a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2021 and are since coming off back-to-back first-round exits.

    Add the fact that contract talks between George and the Clippers stalled, and the grass seemingly looked greener on the other side for the nine-time All-Star. He decided to sign with the 76ers this off-season on a four-year, $212 million maximum contract.

    For what it’s worth, he at least let Leonard know about it before he left.

    Meanwhile, the Raptors haven’t had much postseason success since then either, having won just one series in two playoff appearances since.

    But as far as looking forward goes, they appear to have a clearer direction considering the Clippers, after signing Leonard to his second extension since joining the team (three-year, $149.5 million), just lost his running mate.

    At the very least, by re-signing Barnes to a rookie-scale maximum extension (five-year, up to $270 million) and retaining Quickley on a five-year, $175 million deal, the Raptors nucleus is locked in for the foreseeable future.

    Oh, and Toronto also wasn’t the team to ship off a future MVP finalist in Gilgeous-Alexander… but in fairness, hindsight is 20-20.

    Details of what kind of offer the Raptors even put on the table to try and acquire George remains a mystery, and there’s no certainty it would’ve led them on another championship run.

    We can look back and ponder over what might’ve been but at the end of the day, like it’s already been said, the “future starts now.”

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    Raptors, in midst of competitive limbo, bet big on Barnes and Quickley

    Paul George, one of the NBA’s top players, was a hot topic of discussion during the 2019 offseason as he was reportedly in serious consideration to join Kawhi Leonard on the Toronto Raptors before ultimately choosing the Los Angeles Clippers.

    The possibility of George teaming up with Leonard on the Raptors sent shockwaves through the NBA community. The idea of two elite players joining forces on a team that had just won the NBA championship was a tantalizing prospect for fans and analysts alike. The Raptors were seen as a potential powerhouse with George and Leonard leading the charge.

    However, in a surprising turn of events, George ultimately decided to join forces with Leonard on the Clippers. The move sent shockwaves through the league and instantly made the Clippers one of the favorites to win the NBA championship.

    So why did George ultimately choose the Clippers over the Raptors? There are a few factors that likely played a role in his decision. One of the biggest reasons is likely the opportunity to play alongside Leonard, who is widely regarded as one of the best players in the league. The chance to team up with another superstar and compete for a championship was likely too good for George to pass up.

    Additionally, George is a California native and playing for a team in his home state may have also been a factor in his decision. The allure of playing in Los Angeles, a city known for its glitz and glamour, may have been too much for George to resist.

    Ultimately, George’s decision to join the Clippers was a game-changer for the NBA landscape. The team now boasts two of the best players in the league and is poised to make a deep playoff run. While it’s unclear what could have been if George had chosen to join the Raptors, one thing is for certain – the Clippers are now a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.