Headlined by a potential reunion with Kevin Durant, the Golden State Warriors are on the hunt for another star prior to the trade deadline.
Having been unable to get Zach LaVine who's headed to Sacramento, the Warriors are now supposedly calling everyone in the league looking for a second star to pair with Stephen Curry. One name that has recently been re-linked to the Warriors is Paul George, having been mentioned in a report by ESPN's Shams Charania on Monday.
Golden State tried to trade for George this offseason, but ultimately failed to get the deal past the finish line which left the veteran to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. Now the Warriors are trying once again to grab the star forward in an attempt to give Curry one last chance at competing for an NBA championship.
A Warriors-Paul George trade would be a bad idea
The Sixers have had a disastrous season, far below the expectations set when they acquired George in the offseason. They are 20-29 and 11th in the Eastern Conference, having struggled to find chemistry despite their star trio of George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
Injuries to all three players have further compounded their issues, raising questions about whether Philadelphia should cut its losses and trade George. Moving on from his long-term contract could allow the Sixers to refocus on a younger core and retool for the future. However, the Sixers have yet to indicate that they are actively shopping George.
A potential Warriors-George trade could involve the Warriors sending promising young talent, such as Jonathan Kuminga, and an experienced player like Andrew Wiggins to Philadelphia. This would give the Sixers valuable assets to rebuild around Maxey, while the Warriors would gain a nine-time All-Star capable of boosting their championship aspirations.
George’s stats this season aren’t all that impressive. He is averaging 17.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists -- a big step down from last season when he averaged over 22 points per game shooting 41.3% from three. As a result, Golden State may have dodged a bullet by losing out on him this summer.
On top of his declining numbers, George has shown serious health issues as well. He has only played in 30 games for the Sixers this season and besides last year, hasn’t played 60 or more games once since the 2018-2019 season.
The Warriors are already dealing with their own aging stars with nagging injuries and don't need another one. George's contract is another reason the Warriors should stay away, with the 34-year-old no longer looking like the sort of player Philadelphia gave a four-year, $211 million deal to in the offseason.
Adding a huge contract like George would further limit Golden State's flexibility moving forward, with the combination of factors meaning the franchise should be happy they dodged the bullet instead of trying to take a second stab at nabbing PG13.