Former LA Clippers star Paul George is now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, but there was a chance he could have never hit the open market for Philadelphia to offer him the four-year, $212M deal he ended up signing.

As it was becoming clear that George and the Clippers were too far apart to reach an agreement, LA explored potential opt-in and trade scenarios, but none made enough sense for them to go through with. In a new report from Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, it was revealed that the Denver Nuggets were one of the teams interested in George, and even considered a deal that would have sent Michael Porter Jr. to the Clippers.

“Michael Porter Jr.’s big payday in Denver might not have been as big under this new CBA,” Fischer wrote. “While Porter helped the Nuggets clinch the 2023 championship, Denver already was flirting with the concept of including Porter in a trade to land Paul George this summer, sources said, although his cap number likely would have been too daunting for the CBA-conscious Clippers to have truly considered if George had opted in to be traded.”

As Fischer noted, the Nuggets considered swapping Porter for George, but there is no indication the Clippers would have been open to this, as their future financial flexibility is of utmost importance for roster building.

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