INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Saying goodbye to Paul George was one thing.

The LA Clippers decided in early July to draw a hard line in negotiations with the 34-year-old, who wanted a four-year, $212 million max deal that he would get from the Philadelphia 76ers instead. The prospect of paying him nearly $60 million at the age of 37 — especially given his health history during his five years in L.A. — was a nightmare scenario the Clippers wanted to avoid.

Ditto for the no-trade clause that George wanted and was denied. Add in the long-term planning component — a four-year max deal for George would have gone one year past the length of Kawhi Leonard’s deal while cutting too deeply into the precious salary cap space that would be better used on younger superstars who might become available — and you start to understand why the nine-time All-Star was in a Sixers jersey for his reunion game at Intuit Dome on Wednesday night.

Even if this Leonard-led era never pans out — and the track record speaks for itself at this point — the Clippers protected their ability to go big again in the summer of 2027. And with teams like the Bucks and Sixers having gone all in on their problematic three-star plans that are failing miserably at the moment, there’s an argument to be made that the Clippers’ vision will pay off.

If only for a night, it didn’t look like these Clippers needed George in their 110-98 win. Norm Powell, the guard who replaced George in the starting lineup and who deemed George’s departure “addition by subtraction” in the preseason, had 26 points (while hitting six 3s) and six assists while outplaying his former teammate (George had 18 points and seven rebounds).

The newcomer who wouldn’t be here if George had stayed, Derrick Jones Jr., was one of many productive role players who contributed a pivotal part when the lone available Clippers star, James Harden, had an off-night (5-of-15 shooting, six turnovers; 18 points and six assists).

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The Clippers improved to 4-4 — not too shabby considering Leonard (right knee) has yet to play this season. The Sixers — who have been without Joel Embiid (left knee) all season and George for all but two games (left knee) and must now worry about Tyrese Maxey after he suffered a hamstring injury against the Clippers — saw their pressure-packed situation get even worse as they fell to 1-6. 

But when it comes to the George saga that was the top story of the NBA summer, and which will surely be discussed and re-litigated for years to come, the question that has confounded so many rival front-office executives and scouts this season is this: Why were the Clippers willing to say goodbye to George without getting anything in return?

As The Athletic’s Anthony Slater recently detailed, the Warriors remain both frustrated and confused by their offseason pursuit of George (and Utah’s Lauri Markkanen) that fell flat. Everyone from Golden State owner Joe Lacob on down chimed in on the matter, with Steph Curry, Draymond Green, coach Steve Kerr and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. sharing their view of the sign-and-trade situation gone wrong.

There’s an old and outdated adage in the NBA that you just don’t let star players walk for nothing, but the Clippers — as so many around the league saw it — had gone against that grain by passing on their only real chance at recouping assets for George with the Warriors.

But just as the Clippers aren’t regretting the choices that led to George’s departure to Philadelphia, team sources are adamant in their defense of the Golden State decision as well. And the reasoning has everything to do with the financial flexibility that they valued more than what the Warriors had to offer. Strange as it might sound, they would argue that there are times when nothing is better than something.

Paul George walks near the Clippers bench on Wednesday. (Harry How / Getty Images)

Had the Clippers agreed to do the deal, with the most likely scenario being Golden State sending Andrew Wiggins, Chris Paul, Moses Moody and a first-round pick their way in exchange for George, then team sources say the second-apron luxury tax penalties that would have come with it would have put the total cost at approximately $110 million. The Clippers had serious interest in Warriors fourth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga and would have likely done the deal if he was included along with the first-round pick, but team sources say he was never truly available.

The two teams did discuss scenarios that included Kuminga, team sources said, but the Warriors later pulled him off the table. Considering he was the only young Warriors prospect whom the Clippers truly saw as a potential star, that was the real X-factor in it all. Even Brandin Podziemski, the second-year guard who was on the Clippers’ wish list, wasn’t available. So rather than take what Golden State offered, and having to navigate the second-apron hell that came with it, the Clippers decided to target the role players of their choosing elsewhere.

If you somehow haven’t heard by now, the second-apron luxury tax penalties that come when a team’s payroll exceeds $189 million are the bane of every billionaire’s existence. Even owners like the Clippers’ Steve Ballmer, the former Microsoft CEO whose net worth of $123 billion makes him the richest owner in sports, are now forced to fear the consequences that come with spending your way to the top.

Frozen draft picks. A restriction against making trades in which multiple player salaries are aggregated. No midlevel exceptions, sign-and-trades, or ability to send cash out in trades. Minimum-salary players abound.

A blank check isn’t enough anymore.

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The list of roster-wrecking ramifications is long, and perhaps even boring to the casual fans, but the truth of it all is that front-office executives whose teams are in that unwelcome financial state are like handymen with an empty tool belt. Among all of the involved parties in George’s Clippers exit, opinions differ when it comes to the second-apron effect.

On the one hand, the Clippers offered George a three-year, $150 million deal that would have put them in the second-apron territory throughout the length of that contract. They even offered a four-year deal for less than max money, further proving that point. To some extent, quite clearly, they were willing to deal with the second-apron life.

On the other hand, the Clippers showed a strong commitment to avoiding the second apron in all the scenarios that didn’t involve either elite players or young players with the potential to be elite (George or Kuminga). There’s a gray area here on this front, but it’s just silly to pretend that it didn’t come into play.

To watch George fall short against his old team on Wednesday was to wonder if maybe the Clippers didn’t make the right call after all. He is still an elite player in this league, the kind of two-way talent who would fit in beautifully on any legitimate title contender.

But the Clippers aren’t that, not with Leonard’s tenuous status and Harden’s advanced age. Nor are the Sixers, who have a franchise centerpiece in Embiid whose near-constant health issues put him alongside Leonard when it comes to being a calculated risk.

George wanted to maximize his money, and he did just that. The Clippers wanted to protect their future, and they did that too. Whether that makes it a win-win is in the eye of the beholder, but it might be that simple in the end.

(Photos: Tim Heitman, Barry Gossage / NBAE via Getty Images. Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic)

Billy Napier will be on the sideline Saturday when the 4-4 Florida Gators look to upset the fifth-ranked Texas Longhorns. 

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin confirmed the university’s decision to keep Napier as the Gators’ head football coach.

Napier’s future had been in doubt with the Gators’ continued disappointing results in the coach’s third season.

But Stricklin mentioned the need for a “disciplined, stable approach” and urged Gators fans to “continue standing behind Billy and his dedicated team while we work together to build a championship program.”

The pressure Napier is contending with surfaced early on this season, due in part to Miami’s dominating win over Florida in August. The Gators bounced back against Stanford in Week 2, but the scrutiny resurfaced when Florida lost 33-20 to Texas A&M. 

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Stricklin has taken a patient approach to Napier’s tenure, stressing the importance of giving the coach sufficient time to turn the program around. There have been some bright spots for Florida this season. 

“As we’ve seen these past several weeks, the young men on this team represent what it means to be a Gator,” Stricklin wrote in an announcement shared on social media. “Their resolve, effort and execution are evident in their performance and growth each week — building a foundation that promises greater success next season and beyond.”

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier before a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., Nov. 2, 2024. (Melina Myers/Imagn Images)

After dropping the game against Texas A&M, the Gators defeated Mississippi State and UCF in consecutive games. While Florida hung with Georgia last Saturday, it was unable to knock off the Bulldogs in the annual rivalry game in Jacksonville.

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and the Texas A&M Aggies Sept. 14, 2024, in Gainesville, Fla.  (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Financial considerations likely factored into the decision about Napier’s job status. If Florida does reverse course, the university would likely be responsible for Napier’s estimated $26 million buyout. Last year, Texas A&M was on the hook for Jimbo Fisher’s record-setting $76 million buyout.

ESPN reported a significant amount of Florida’s name, image and likeness (NIL) money is invested in freshman and sophomore players. Quarterback DJ Lagway is also believed to favor Napier as his coach, according to the report.

Three of Florida’s four remaining opponents are in the top 25 of the College Football Playoff rankings.

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Stephanie White couldn’t hide her enthusiasm at her introductory press conference for the Indiana Fever. Beyond her extensive ties to the organization and the region, White is stepping into a particularly exciting role as the head coach of a talented young team, led by the last two rookies of the year, Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark.

It was Clark’s historic rookie season that vaulted the Fever into the next phase of team building and prompted the franchise to seek out a coach of White’s pedigree — one who could make Indiana a championship contender. White has already been effusive in her praise of the Fever guard, suggesting that Clark could be the greatest point guard of all time and that her No. 22 (which was also White’s number as an Indiana player from 2000-2004) won’t ever be worn by another Fever player. Clark was already one of the best players in the league before White arrived in Indianapolis, but a primary role will be further developing Clark.

Here’s how she’ll try to do it:

• White’s desire to reduce Clark’s ball dominance has emerged as a theme. Although Clark was prolific as a passer and scorer, carrying both duties was a heavy weight. A 2025 goal will be to reduce that burden. That means playing Clark for fewer minutes but also experimenting with her role.

“Helping her anticipate what’s going to be coming her way, trying to move her around a little bit more on the floor so she’s not quite as easily predictable in what action’s happening,” White said.

• Looking back at White’s previous two seasons in Connecticut, much of the facilitating came from Alyssa Thomas in the frontcourt, which allowed the Sun to spring their shooters off the ball in a variety of ways. No other forward in the league can match Thomas’ playmaking, but Boston and NaLyssa Smith have enough passing ability to replicate one of Connecticut’s favorite sets.

The Sun often started possessions with Thomas at the top of the key, and a guard or wing running off of a stagger from the corner to then setting a screen for Thomas in the middle of the court. The staggered screens already put the defense in a bind to start the play, and if Clark were the backcourt player coming, that would put additional pressure on defenders to navigate the screens to stay attached. Even if the defense managed that, the result would be the ballhandler able to rumble her way through the paint. Smith seems ideally suited for that role.

That play is one of many examples of Connecticut stacking actions on top of actions. Look at this possession from opening night of 2024 when three separate screens led to a pick-and-roll for Ty Harris and Thomas. Presumably, the defense wouldn’t go under if Clark acts as the ballhandler, but with all the space cleared on that side of the floor, the screen-setter would at least have an easy roll to the basket.

More @ConnecticutSun stacking actions

Drag by ONO.
AT swings and then they set a stagger for Dijonai.
AT sets a wide pin for Ty Harris.
Empty corner PnR with Thomas & Ty.
The Indiana defense goes under and that’s too much airspace to give Ty Harris = Ty 3. pic.twitter.com/g8tq4llrHX

— Evin Gualberto (@evin_gual) May 15, 2024

• White has expressed how impressed she is by Boston’s passing in the half court. Several of the Sun’s layered sets were intended to result in a big catching the ball at the elbow, where Boston (mimicking Brionna Jones) could then direct the action from the post. Indiana has great cutters, specifically Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull, for Boston to find from that setup in the elbow. Again, the idea is Clark factoring into the play by drawing her defender beyond the 3-point line but not required to create the scoring chance.

Of course, the combination of drag screens, pin-downs, and flares could all be decoys to eventually get Clark the ball anyway, albeit with the opportunity to attack a shifted defense rather than a set one.

“We can get to the same action on the second or third side,” White said. “We can get to it after a first or second action, being able to move her around a little bit more.”

White noted that Clark needs to add strength, which would aid in all of the goals she has laid out for the star guard. Strength should help Clark’s consistency on her jumper and her durability down the stretch of games — she shot 31.3 percent on 3s in clutch situations compared to 34.4 percent overall. It could also make her a better screener if she can generate more contact, and shooters already make the deadliest screeners because defenders don’t want to leave them.

• Clark’s main area of improvement, one that White has coached to great effect in Connecticut the last two years, will be focused on defense. Clark has been a non-factor on that end, and a player that the Sun even tried to hunt. In their first-round playoff series, Connecticut regularly ran the offense through the perimeter player Clark was defending and found a series of wide-open 3-pointers on the wing when Clark was unable to close out.

During the 2024 season, five of the top 20 players in defensive win shares came from the Sun, with Marina Mabrey, who arrived midseason, just missing the cut. A White-coached team will demand more defensive accountability, even from Clark. Success will require being “a little more tough-minded team on the defensive end of the floor.”

White has proven to be among the more adaptable coaches in the WNBA during her recent tenure. After Jones was lost for the 2023 season, she pivoted to a small-ball lineup, using Thomas essentially as a point center. The next year, Connecticut went back to the double-big look but still had the flexibility to downsize when necessary.

In Indiana, White’s creativity won’t be necessary to keep the Fever afloat. Her No. 1 priority will be to maximize a deeper roster with more talent and get the most out of Clark.

(Photos of Caitlin Clark and Stephanie White: Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images, Chris Coduto / Getty Images)