Warriors reportedly plan to pursue Paul George with max four-year deal, potentially ruling out Thompson’s return

On June 27th, it was reported that the Golden State Warriors are willing to offer Paul George a maximum four-year contract in free agency.

According to renowned sports journalist Brian Windhorst on a recent show, “So far, the Clippers have been willing to give Paul George something similar to what they gave Leonard. Three years, a little bit less than a max, and Paul George, quite frankly, wants a four-year deal. He wants a full max deal, and I’m told there are teams ready to give him that max and trade for him. One of those teams could be the Warriors.”

Per NBA rules, George can only sign a four-year max deal with the Clippers or a select few other teams. The Warriors would need to execute a sign-and-trade with the Clippers to acquire George.

The Warriors’ salary cap situation is complicated, making their pursuit of George more symbolic than realistic. Team owner Joe Lacob has expressed interest in tweaking the roster while staying within the luxury tax threshold, which would entail either parting ways with Chris Paul or allowing Klay Thompson to leave via free agency.

Given the Warriors’ repeated public declarations of wanting to retain Thompson, should they indeed engage in a pursuit of George, they’d likely have to commit to Paul’s contract as part of any trade.

If the Warriors exceed the first luxury tax line, they would be prohibited from completing a sign-and-trade. The new CBA imposes strict limitations on teams above that threshold, making any such transaction unlikely without cost-cutting measures, such as potentially trading Draymond Green. Acquiring George and re-signing Thompson would then be virtually impossible.