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I know you’ve been craving Bronny James news. You pretend you don’t, but that interest is there somewhere inside your heart. Good news: We have a Bronny update for you (keep scrolling)!
The Great Debate
Should Paul George have been a Warrior?
The Paul George conversation over the last few months has been a fascinating one. He’s one of the best players in the league and has the potential to be the perfect sidekick for a superstar. The 34-year-old is a great two-way player and doesn’t have real holes in his game. It’s always just a matter of whether he’ll show up and step up. But the Clippers just couldn’t justify a four-year max deal for George, or the no-trade clause he sought, in the offseason.
As Sam Amick told us yesterday, the Clippers wanted to maintain flexibility for summer 2027. When George was departing the Clippers around the start of free agency, there was a possibility of joining the Warriors via a trade. The potential trade, per Amick’s column, was as follows:
The Clippers, however, didn’t want to help out a division rival while their own foothold in the West was weakening. As Anthony Slater let us know, the Warriors’ plan for the summer was to get George and still maintain enough assets (Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, more picks) to get Lauri Markkanen. So, maybe Golden State went light on offering the pieces that might have enticed the Clippers to move George within the division.
The Clippers ended up letting George walk to Philadelphia for nothing in return. They maintained flexibility and signed a bunch of role players to fill the void George left. This is what they ended up getting instead:
The Clippers also re-signed James Harden (which they were always going to do), and then gave extensions to Ivica Zubac and Terance Mann. Essentially, we’re talking about the Clippers opting for Jones, Batum and Porter at three very cap-friendly, manageable contracts instead of Wiggins (three years, $84.5M), CP3 (who would have been traded or waived) and Moody (one year, $5.8M and extension eligible). While Wiggins would still fit that three-year plan the Clippers are currently sticking to, maybe they would have committed to more than the three-year, $39 million extension Moody eventually agreed to with the Warriors.
I’ve talked to a lot of people about the George-Clippers fallout, and the majority have stated they think the Clippers should have spent the money on PG with the four-year max, and then hoped for the best. The problem with that is they did everything right last season. Kawhi Leonard played in 68 games. The team was healthy. And then, when the playoffs came around, it was the exact same thing as always: injuries, quick exit.
It doesn’t take a lot of convincing for the Jones, Batum and Porter plan to make more sense in the short term … especially when you factor in that Leonard’s knee seems cooked and he still hasn’t played this season. While the Clippers allowed George to walk for nothing, they didn’t settle for doing nothing. They were active in acquiring cost-effective fill-ins, who might be able to make up for 75 percent of what George gave them. And whether they kept George or replaced him with solid role players wouldn’t matter if Leonard isn’t healthy come April and May.
It’s cool to think about what the Clippers could have done and how that might have impacted a Warriors team looking for another title. The Clippers served their own best interest, even if it’s a step back in the interim.
Why the Clippers don’t regret letting Paul George walk – or saying no the Warriors.
A deeper look at their Golden State talks that have remained a topic of much debate, and the long-term view that was playing a pivotal part, at @TheAthletic https://t.co/Cva2R3lBNE
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) November 7, 2024
The Last 24
Here’s that Bronny news I promised
🧳 Bronny to the G-League. The youngest LeBron James in the NBA has been assigned to the South Bay Lakers. This is part of the plan.
🩼 Tyrese Maxey out a couple weeks. Remember that hamstring injury we told you about yesterday? The Sixers guard will miss time.
🏀 Anthony Edwards went off. The Wolves star had 13 of his 33 points in the fourth — part of a 41-19 final quarter for Minnesota (5-3) — in a 135-119 victory over the Bulls last night.
🏀 Bucks grab their second win. Milwaukee (2-6) used a 66-39 second half to avoid an embarrassing loss to 1-7 Utah at home. Damian Lillard had 34 while Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 to lead the 123-100 win.
🏀 Spurs team effort. San Antonio (4-5) had eight different players score in double figures to take down the Blazers 118-105.
📺 Game of the Night. The Warriors (7-1) are in Cleveland looking to give the Cavs (9-0) their first loss. 7:30 p.m. ET on League Pass.
📺 National Spotlight. The Suns (7-1) face their old nemesis, the Mavs (5-3), to get some trash talk and buckets in. 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN or Fubo.
League Pass Fun
Let me sell you on some of this season’s gems
If you’re like me, you’re an NBA League Pass sicko on a nightly basis. Or maybe you just peruse the same few teams over and over again. You might not have time to dive into the NBA action each night like Scrooge McDuck swan-diving into a vault of gold coins. Since your time is precious, you can’t always risk checking out a team you’re not sure will be worth it. That’s why I want to share a few of my League Pass gems — some of them may surprise you.
Wizards (2-4): Yes, the Wizards! I’m being serious. Typically, the Wizards are entertaining for all the wrong reasons. Just watch Jordan Poole highlights from last season. This year? The Wizards have four really fun young players. Bilal Coulibaly is averaging 17.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists with a 67.6 true shooting percentage. Washington’s three rookies (Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George) are off to good starts, even when they’re not making shots. Invest in the Wizards once a week to ensure you’ll have a good time.
Entertainment: 7/10 | Good players: 4/10 | Fun, young players: 7/10 | Local TV: 5/10
Nets (4-4): Things will most likely dip for the Nets within the next month or so, but they’re off to a good start in a season of expected tanking. Ben Simmons as a center has been … fine? They’ve got a bunch of good role players on the wings. Cam Thomas is one of the better scorers in the league. Dennis Schröder can lead some big runs in any game. And relatively unknown guys like Jalen Wilson and Ziaire Williamson are making names for themselves. Plus, with Ian Eagle and Sarah Kustok, this is right up there as one of the best broadcast teams in the league.
Entertainment: 8/10 | Good players: 7/10 | Fun, young players: 7/10 | Local TV: 10/10
Blazers (3-6): The Blazers’ offense can be a bit of a slog, but this has been a competitive, defensive-minded team through the first couple weeks. We’re still waiting for Scoot Henderson to pop, but his play has been intriguing. They’re still missing Shaedon Sharpe for that wow factor, but there are three young role players (Toumani Camara, Dalano Banton and Rayan Rupert) really contributing. Plus, you can watch rookie Donovan Clingan be a massive human. This is also one of the best local broadcasts around.
Entertainment: 6/10 | Good players: 6/10 | Fun, young players: 6/10 | Local TV: 10/10
Hornets (3-5): The Hornets don’t play any defense, but Charles Lee has them playing some good, competitive basketball so far. LaMelo Ball is always good for a big scoring run. Brandon Miller is a highlight reel waiting to happen. And I love what Tre Mann is doing off the bench, looking like a hopeful Lou Williams. The local broadcast can be a bit cartoonish, but this is a fun team.
Entertainment: 7/10 | Good players: 8/10 | Fun, young players: 9/10 | Local TV: 3/10
Most Dominant Ever
I’m always down to celebrate Shaquille O’Neal
It’s impossible for me to forget the first time I saw Shaquille O’Neal. I was 10 years old. It was the 1992 draft. The Orlando Magic made him the No. 1 pick, and I’d never seen him play. I guess I wasn’t tuned in to LSU basketball. It was just on television, but I’d never seen a human being that large before. They started showing highlights, which immediately made him my favorite player.
The movie “Blue Chips” came out two years later, and the Neon Boudeaux character brought even more of Shaq’s personality to life. Like so many, I watched him intrigue everybody in Orlando. I saw him dominate in Los Angeles and witnessed his redemption in Miami. And we saw him eventually take his talents to television for a brilliant second career as an entertainer. Other than Michael Jordan and maybe Allen Iverson, I don’t think we’ve ever seen a basketball player as magnetic and mind-bending as Shaq.
Jason Jones wrote a fantastic Shaquille O’Neal essay for “The Basketball 100,” The Athletic’s upcoming book that ranks the 100 greatest NBA players of all time. It is available on Nov. 26, and you can preorder it here.
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(Top photo: Harry How / Getty Images )