The Paul George era for the Boston Celtics already started on a good note when he waived his trade kicker, saving the Celtics enough money to stay under the luxury tax (after waiving Dalano Banton). That was pretty significant, as it showed that George was a team player. Making it even more impressive is that he gave that up even after all the money he lost earlier this year.
Many likely still remember that George was suspended during the 2025-26 season for violating the league's anti-drug program, but what many forget is that he was suspended without pay. In total, George lost almost $12 million from the suspension. He went from making almost $51.7 million to $40 million more or less last season.
He could have easily recouped some of that money had he kept his trade kicker, but he gave it up instead to help the Celtics. All in all, George has lost almost $16 million this year alone; almost $4 million of what was given up was done willingly.
Over time, it has become easier to understand how George could fit seamlessly into Joe Mazzulla's system. However, George should be more appreciated for what he's already done to help the Celtics' greater good.
It becomes easier knowing he's made almost half a billion dollars
Perhaps one reason why George was more than happy to give up the money he did after the trade is that he has been one of the highest-paid players in NBA history. Minus the nearly $12 million he lost from the suspension (keep in mind that the trade kicker would have been in addition to what he was already owed), George will have made around $500 million throughout his NBA career by 2028.
Note that those are his earnings from the NBA only. He's surely made more from endorsements and shoe deals over the years as well. While probably not making as much as he once did from those, it is safe to say that he is an extremely wealthy man.
When your net worth is in the hundreds of millions, turning down an extra $4 million to him is like turning down a $20 bill. It's safe to say he'll live. Anyway, even if waiving the kicker may not have been a hard decision, even after losing all the money he did after his suspension, it's cool to see that George has put the Celtics first.
No one would have blamed him to take the extra cash especially when he had motive to, but him passing on it should make him more endearing to the fans.
Add us as a preferred source on Google