Clippers push to retain Paul George, ‘respect’ if he opts out

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. — The LA Clippers “very much” want to keep All-Star guard Paul George but will have to see how things play out as he approaches Saturday’s deadline to exercise his $48.8 million player option.

Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said the team has had ongoing conversations with George and his agent, Aaron Mintz.

The Clippers can sign George to an extension up to four years and $221 million, but the two sides have not been able to come to an agreement for months.

If no extension is reached before Saturday’s deadline, George can become a free agent or opt into his deal. Even if George opts into the final year of his deal, he could try to work a trade out with the Clippers to another team.

But the Clippers, who signed Kawhi Leonard to a three-year, $150-million extension in January, are hopeful George will want to remain home and close to his family; he grew up in nearby Palmdale.

“We love Paul,” Frank said after the Clippers selected Minnesota guard Cam Christie with the 46th pick in the second round. “We very much want to retain Paul, but we also very much understand and respect the fact this is a business.

“We hope Paul’s decision is to be here. He’s been awesome. He’s been an All-Star. He’s one of the best two-way players in the league. He’s a terrific person. He’s got great family, so we hope he’s here but also respect the fact that if he chooses to opt out, that’s his choice. He’s earned it and we’ll see how things play out.”

Frank said the team has had productive talks with James Harden, who is a free agent, and his agents, Mike Silverman and Troy Payne.

“We think James has been terrific for us,” Frank said. “We hope he’s had a great experience while he has been here and we hope he decides to continue to be here. … We very much want James to remain a Clipper and hope he decides to do the same.”

Considering how restrictive the new collective bargaining agreement will be for tax-paying teams such as the Clippers, Frank acknowledged the organization has to make tough decisions in trying to keep its stars on the same timeline.

“This is a business and the reality of the new CBA impacts teams like us,” Frank said. “When your better players are in their 30s and you’re trying to build a sustainable roster, it impacts it. Like if there was no CBA, with [owner] Steve Ballmer, it would be carte blanche. With the new CBA, it’s not even about the money as it is how are you going to build a sustainable roster, maintain your tools to have transactional flexibility? And with that comes really, really hard decisions.”