“What’s up my n****s”: Paul George reveals keeping poker face on Vegas hotel floor after trade to Clippers
Paul George joined the LA Clippers back in 2019 and is still chasing his first NBA championship. Now, on the final guaranteed year of his deal with the Clippers, Paul George will hit free agency next summer if he declines his player option for the 2024–25 season, worth $48,8 million.
In a recent episode of his "Podcast P with Paul George" show, the All-Star forward discussed his trade to the Clippers in the summer of 2019 and what he did when he found out. When George was dealt to the Clippers, he was at a hotel in Las Vegas.
"Funny enough, because I think you and Patrick Beverley were there and I ran into you all, whole time, I know what is going on, but like we gotta keep this s*** under wraps. Deep down I wanted to be like "What’s up my n****s?" George said.
"I was just trying to keep the poker face, no pun intended, being out there, but I knew the whole time, that s**t was going to drop that night."
On July 10, 2019, the Oklahoma City Thunder decided to send Paul George to the LA Clippers. In return, they got All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, veteran forward Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and two first-round pick swaps.
Paul George addresses role with Clippers after James Harden trade
James Harden joined the LA Clippers a couple of weeks ago, and his arrival hasn't fared well for the team. The team sent four players to the Philadelphia 76ers as part of the deal, and they now have to rebuild their chemistry while finding their new roles on the floor.
Paul George, one of the four megastars on the team, along with Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Kawhi Leonard, talked with reporters on Sunday about how he views his role after Harden's arrival. The All-Star forward said on Friday that he may have to become a "glue guy" for the squad, doing more work on rebounding and defense.
"I know who I am and what I am in the league … You lose guys like RoCo (Robert Convington), Nico (Nicolas Batum), the guys that were the glue guys for us … somebody’s gotta fill in that void of doing the nasty work … So that’s where the mindset came from," George told media, via Joey Linn of Sports Illustrated.
Since James Harden's arrival, the Clippers (3-6) have lost four straight games. Their current losing streak is five games, and they will attempt to snap it Tuesday when they travel to Denver to take on the reigning champion Nuggets for the NBA In-Season Tournament group game.
Paul George has played in all nine Clippers games this season, averaging 23.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 3.7 apg while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from three.