NBA Rumors: Another sign Paul George could leave LA Clippers in free agency emerges

NBA Rumors: Another sign that Paul George could leave the LA Clippers in free agency this offseason emerges.

With the start of NBA Free Agency roughly two weeks away, Paul George remains one of the biggest names that could end up switching jerseys this offseason. Even though it's become clear that the Clippers would ideally like to re-sign both James Harden and PG, there's a very real possibility that one of them could end up leaving this summer.

Between Harden and PG, the latter is considered to be the more likely of the two to leave in free agency. There continue to be signs that PG could be open to the idea of leaving the Clippers for greener pastures.

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Clippers and PG are "not on the same page" at the moment in regard to contract negotiations. With the start of free agency two weeks away, this is not the type of update you want to hear if you're a Clippers fan.

In the best-case scenario, this is a negotiation tactic for both sides. But in a worst-case scenario, this could be another sign that points to the real possibility of PG leaving in free agency. And with the way Joel Embiid was "flirty" with PG on the NBA Finals broadcast, you can bet that the Philadelphia 76ers are waiting for their opportunity to put the full-court press on him once free agency opens.

Will Paul George be willing to genuinely test free agency?

Even despite the recent signs that PG could be open to the idea of leaving LA, there's still no guarantee that he's preparing to genuinely test free agency this summer. There's no definite evidence that his recent activity and the recent reporting suggest PG is ready to leave LA. For all we know, it could end up being a huge negotiating ploy. But there's no question that as we inch closer and closer to free agency, we're going to get a much firmer answer on what PG intends to do this offseason. At this point, it's impossible to predict.

The one certainty that we have is that the Sixers are going to emerge as a real threat to pry PG away from the Clippers in free agency. I suppose the real question is, how badly will the Clippers fight to keep PG in LA? Because the lure of free agency appears to be very real.