It’s no secret that the Warriors have been chasing Paul George and Lauri Markkanen over the summer, but what has just been revealed is that the storied franchise is trying to land both players at the same time.
The Athletic dropped the news as the NBA season begins:
“When Dunleavy laid out the plan [Steph] Curry and [Draymond] Green, Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen was not Plan B. He was part of Plan A,” wrote Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The Warriors wanted both wings — believing George’s threat to leave would allow them to secure the assets needed to tempt Utah Jazz chief Danny Ainge, and Markkanen’s reasonable $18 million salary would make the money work.
Draymond Green supported this, but explained how difficult the Clippers were.
“The conversation was always about what was possible,” Green told Slater. “He gets both of those guys, he makes a lot of noise. But the Clippers weren’t really willing to play football. Then Danny Ainge was Danny Ainge. “
Slater suggests that if the Warriors had acquired George from the Clippers, they may have been willing to “pull everything out” to meet Ainge’s high asking price.
But without PG, it seems the Dubs weren’t that comfortable with Ainge’s demands for a Jazz star forward.
Golden State star Steph Curry had an honest response to the situation.
“Let’s keep it real,” Curry said. “Most groups probably won’t want to help us.”
READ MORE: Doc Rivers Debates ‘Falling Short’ Story Surrounding Coaching Career
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