Patrick Beverley Correctly Predicted the Clippers’ 2024 Offseason

There is no doubt that the LA Clippers have had an extremely interesting offseason. The drama of the Paul George situation had been brewing for months and reached a boiling point prior to the start of free agency.

George, of course, had been a key backbone of this Clippers team for five seasons, and the duo of he and Kawhi Leonard was the main reason LA was seen as a consistent threat to win a Western Conference championship. The prospect of losing him wasn’t an exciting one, but it was a very real possibility.

As Paul himself would explain, negotiations with the Clippers’ front office ultimately led to his departure from the team. PG wanted a certain contract that the LA front office didn’t offer him for a while, and by that time George had other terms he wanted in a deal before he would agree to an extension. When those terms weren’t offered, PG chose to leave town.

Former Clippers guard Patrick Beverley recently revealed that he suspected this scenario would play out. Maybe not in the exact way it actually did, but he did reveal that he could see George leaving before the season was over.

Pat Bev made a direct comparison on his podcast between the New York Knicks’ current situation with Julius Randle and how the Clippers ultimately lost Paul George. “When you sign all those guys at that size and position, it’s obvious that it’s going to go wrong,” Beverley said. “When the Clippers got James Harden, I knew Paul George was going to be out. I mean, one plus one equals two.”

As a former Clipper, it’s no surprise that Pat understands this well, and he hits the nail on the head with this comparison. Paul George and Julius Randle obviously play different styles. That much is clear. But when it comes to adding guys who can bring similar skills to the roster, both the Clippers and Knicks have made similar moves with their stars.

James Harden may not be a carbon copy of Paul George, but the point is that he can create off the dribble and add value with playmaking as well. It’s hard to imagine that when the Clippers considered bringing in Harden, they didn’t think for a second that he could provide some security if Paul George was out the following summer.