When is Paul George Returning to Los Angeles to Face the Clippers?
Paul George will face his former Clippers team on November 6 in what is likely to be an emotional early-season match-up.
George’s move from the Clippers to the 76ers was driven by a failure to agree on contract terms.
George signed a four-year, $212 million deal with Philadelphia, including a player option in the final season.
After five seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers , Paul George decided to move on and took his talents to the Philadelphia 76ers .
George signed a four-year, $212 million contract in free agency to join Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in Philly, ending a rather underwhelming tenure in Los Angeles that was marred by injuries and disappointing early playoff exits.
The NBA has released the schedule for the 2024-25 NBA season. The new campaign is set to tip off on October 22, Tuesday.
As for George, the new 76ers forward will make his return to Los Angeles on November 6, when Philadelphia makes its first visit to the new Intuit Dome to face the Clippers.
George’s Exit in Los Angeles
George and the Clippers did not see eye-to-eye on a new deal
After signing with Philadelphia, George revealed on his podcast, Podcast P, that he never wanted to leave Los Angeles. It was his home after all. However, both sides just could not agree on a deal.
He and the Clippers had spent the majority of the previous campaign negotiating a new contract that would keep the nine-time All-Star in Los Angeles.
As he mentioned on his podcast, he wound up asking for the same three-year $153 million contract that the Clippers gave to Kawhi Leonard during the season. George also wanted a “no trade” clause in the deal, but the Clippers were not interested in including that.
To counter, he went back and asked for a four-year, $212 million maximum contract, but without the “no trade” clause. However, Los Angeles also wasn’t interested in that deal.
As such, George declined his $48.8 million player option and entered free agency, where he eventually signed a four-year, $212 million deal with Philadelphia, which includes a player option in the final season.
George Faces Former Team in Early Season Clash
George will see a re-tooled Clippers team on November 6th
George will be able to get this emotional game out of the way quickly as his return to Los Angeles will happen early on in the campaign. The Clippers will only be Philadelphia’s seventh assignment of the season.
Philadelphia 76ers First 10 Games
Date
Opponent
Oct. 23
vs. Bucks
Oct. 25
@ Raptors
Oct. 27
@ Pacers
Oct. 30
vs. Pistons
Nov. 2
vs. Grizzlies
Nov. 4
@ Suns
Nov. 6
@ Clippers
Nov. 8
@ Lakers
Nov. 10
vs. Hornets
Nov. 12
vs. Knicks
The Clippers did a great job of re-tooling this past summer to compensate for George’s departure. They signed forward Derrick Jones Jr. in free agency and brought back veteran forward Nicolas Batum, whom the Clippers traded to Philadelphia in the James Harden deal last season.
They also signed Kris Dunn, Kevin Porter Jr., and Mo Bamba to add to their depth.
Meanwhile, George’s arrival in Philadelphia has made the Sixers one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Apart from signing George, Philadelphia also signed Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon, Andre Drummond, and most recently, Olympic star Guerschon Yabusele. They also managed to bring back Kelly Oubre Jr. and veteran guard Kyle Lowry.
