Recently, Philadelphia 76ers general manager Daryl Morey pushed all of his chips to the center of the table by signing former Los Angeles Clippers star forward Paul George to a four year maximum contract to move him to the East Coast. The move gives 76ers 2023 MVP Joel Embiid arguably the most versatile co-star he's ever had and also solidifies Morey as one of the game's biggest risk takers dating back to his days with the Houston Rockets.
The move to acquire George has led some pundits to view the 76ers as legitimate title contenders, while others still see them behind the Boston Celtics (reigning NBA champions) and New York Knicks (fresh off of acquiring Mikal Bridges and resigning OG Anunoby) in the Eastern Conference.
One person who is displaying a bit of skepticism about just how much George elevates the 76ers' ceiling is ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst, who recently took to First Take to relay his concerns.
“This is the fourth time in about seven years that Paul George has been a headliner of an offseason move,” said Windhorst, via First Take on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter. “…the previous three have led to what? And that's my point… I certainly recognize that the 76ers are a formidable team. I think they're going to need a year. I'm not going to put a lot of pressure on them to win this year. I know that that's the thing that you would say. ‘Well now Embiid's got to win.' And I agree, especially for a team that hasn't gotten to the conference finals, that certainly would be the barrier, but historically, we see teams when they hollow out their roster to create a big three, they always need more time… I'm tired of sitting here in the first week of July and declaring that a Paul George arrival changes everything.”
What is the 76ers ceiling?
Windhorst is correct in that George's previous stops with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers amounted to a grand total of three playoff series wins over the span of seven years, never really coming close to competing for an NBA championship.
George remains one of the game's most complete two-way players at the age of 34, boasting a unique combination of silky smooth shooting touch, lock down defense, and playmaking savvy that make him such a valuable piece for any contending team; however, wins and losses talk in the NBA, and George has never even made the Finals, let alone hoisted the trophy.
Still, on paper, this 76ers team might give him the best chance of doing so, as Embiid, George, and Tyrese Maxey are a legitimate big three that will be a nightmare for opposing coaches to gameplan for, and the 76ers have made other smart moves this offseason like signing Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond.
While it may not be enough to get over the Celtics-sized hump in the Eastern Conference, the 76ers have given themselves the best chance of contention in the Embiid era with this move.
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