Paul George will not be returning to Los Angeles next year. While we await confirmation of his new destination in free agency — with the expectation being that the Sixers will sign him, as no other team seems likely unless a surprising sign-and-trade occurs — the Clippers released a detailed statement on Sunday night. Lawrence Frank expressed gratitude for George’s time in L.A. and confirmed that after their meeting on Sunday, George would not be back in a Clippers uniform.

I can’t recall another instance where a team released a statement like this before a player signed elsewhere. Typically, this is done for players who are released or after they sign with another team (usually franchise legends). In this case, the Clippers wanted to get ahead of the news and make it clear they are moving forward without George.

Despite George not returning, Los Angeles had a busy Sunday. They re-signed James Harden to a two-year, $70 million deal, signed Kevin Porter Jr. (who missed all of last season following a domestic assault arrest) to a two-year deal, and are reportedly shopping Russell Westbrook after he picked up his player option. The Clippers will have their mid-level exception to work with but could look to dip under the luxury tax this year to reset their repeater tax clock, similar to what the Warriors seem to be doing after failing to trade for George on Saturday.

As for George, we await his official announcement, but all indications suggest he will join Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and the Sixers in Philadelphia, returning to the East.