Clippers president addresses future of James Harden, Paul George ahead of free agency

James Harden.

The Los Angeles Clippers are entering a free agency period filled with very big and potentially concerning question marks. While they inked star Kawhi Leonard to a three-year contract extension during the 2023-24 NBA season, the expectation was that Paul George's new deal would come soon after. And after seeing the fit of James Harden with the star duo, the chances of him remaining in Los Angeles also appeared likely.

However, as July 30, the start of NBA free agency, creeps closer, the future of George and Harden seems to get cloudier by the day. Rumors have swirled about George's contract and the belief that the franchise and its 34-year-old star aren't seeing eye-to-eye. This could lead to George becoming one of the hottest names on the free-agent market.

But what about Harden?

Very little has been said about the future of Harden, who the Clippers acquired via trade from the Philadelphia 76ers early last season. That is until Clippers president Lawrence Frank spoke following the 2024 NBA Draft and provided an update on contract talks with Harden, as ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk revealed.

According to Youngmisuk, Frank called the talks between the franchise and Harden very productive and was candid about the team's desire to keep the 34-year-old in a Clippers uniform.

“We very much want James to remain a Clipper and hope he does the same," Frank said.

Frank also spoke about negotiations with George, as ESPN and Youngmisuk also detailed, but the comments didn't seem quite as optimistic. Frank said the Clippers "love" and "want to retain" George, but will respect his decision if he opts out.

“We hope his decision is to stay here," Frank said. "But also respect if his decision is to opt out. We’ll see how things play out.”

Although Frank stated that the two sides have had ongoing contract talks, George's future outlook appears very much up in the air. Especially considering that multiple teams will likely be willing to pay George a max contract should he hit free agency.

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