The Golden State Warriors' pursuit of Paul George appears to be dead.
George is reportedly declining his $48.8 million player option, sending the superstar into free agency and effectively cutting off any pathway for the Warriors to acquire him. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report on George's decision.
While the Warriors have been rumored to be interested in George for weeks, serious reports tying them together for a potential trade didn’t pick up until Monday. But since then, it’s become the dominant discourse in the NBA circles, with rumors building up as the nine-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA and four-time All-Defensive team honoree's decision deadline of 2 p.