Star hunting has paid off at long last as the Philadelphia 76ers have agreed Paul George to a four-year max contract worth $212 million. After news broke that the Sixers agreed to deals with Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, and then Kelly Oubre, Philadelphia has now found their third star, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Just after 8 p.m. Eastern time, NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that George’s meeting with the Clippers, the first of two Sunday meetings, resulted in a mutual understanding between player and organization that they would no longer be moving forward together.
Soon after, the Clippers later made a formal announcement acknowledging George’s departure.
With George now aboard, there’s a new Big 3 in Philadelphia as he joins former MVP Joel Embiid and one of the NBA’s most exciting young talents, Tyrese Maxey.
During the 2023-24 NBA season, George averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists for the Los Angeles Clippers. He did so while shooting 41.3 percent from three on nearly eight attempts per game, the type of performance and volume the Sixers could desperately use in between Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
Philadelphia has not had a third option that fits as well as George in the Joel Embiid era. A player who boasts the combination of three-point and defensive ability that Paul George possesses has not been seen even in Embiid’s co-stars.
Looking at the second and third options of years past, Jimmy Butler was nowhere near that level as a shooter. James Harden came close in terms of shooting but took his shots to the beat of his own drum. Tobias Harris, at his best, only averaged five threes per game and was never the defender that Paul George is now, which is a far cry from his All-Defense days. Ben Simmons.
The structure of Philadelphia’s starting lineup, though it’s only filled three of its five spots, is set to be the best-fitting assortment of talent that the Sixers have put on the court alongside Embiid. A return to the top of the East is likely in sight, assuming health is, for once, not an issue.
Paul George was brought in not just to help lift the Sixers in the regular season. Philadelphia has been a premier team in the Eastern Conference standings for years behind the efforts of Joel Embiid. What the team has not been able to do is get over the hump in the postseason.
While George has received some criticism for his playoff performance in years past, he’s still averaged over 24 points per game, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists over his last five trips. Philadelphia
Despite the addition of George, Daryl Morey’s job is not finished. They’ve already firmly secured the backup center position by bringing back Andre Drummond. The team must now fill out the rest of this roster in hopes of pursuing a championship.
One final detail of note: the Sixers own both the Clippers’ 2028 unprotected first-round pick and an unprotected first-round pick swap in 2029. These assets are likely to significantly increase in value after Philadelphia signed George away from Los Angeles. As far as this is concerned, Daryl Morey deserves his flowers for the final outcome of the James Harden trade, which effectively ended up being for George, two first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks.
