On Sunday night, Paul George's departure from the Los Angeles Clippers became nothing but a matter of inevitability after the Clippers released a statement that the two parties were unable to come to terms on a new contract. This paved the way for George to receive the contract he has been searching for all along, with the 76ers giving the nine-time All-Star a four-year, $212 million deal.

George and his camp certainly took their time on Sunday to put the finishing touches on their eventual agreement with the 76ers that the news of it broke at 3 AM ET on Monday. But all along, it certainly looked as though George knew that he would end the meeting as a Sixer, if the shirt he wore during his meeting with the team is any indication.

Paul George makes it a point to represent whichever team he's playing for in the best way he could. What better way for him to introduce himself to an unforgiving 76ers fanbase by paying tribute to one of the greatest players in franchise history in Allen Iverson?

George will certainly endear himself to a fanbase that has been clamoring for an upgrade over Tobias Harris over the past five years. Harris has been the most inconsistent player, at least in the eye of 76ers fans, and to get a perennial All-Star in place of someone they would trade for a Crumbl Cookie should be cause for celebration in the City of Brotherly Love.

If Paul George manages to help the 76ers get past the second round hump, fans will already accept the huge contract that brought him to Philly as a huge win.

Is Paul George the 76ers' missing piece?

Paul George hasn't exactly made it easy for himself with some of his words; the Clippers fanbase turned sour on him following a rough end to their 2024 playoff run, and it's his inconsistency that Clippers fans believe will frustrate 76ers supporters all the same.

But unlike with the Clippers, George should settle in as the 76ers' third option — the perfect scenario for where he is in his career. While paying max money for a third option rarely sits well with pundits and fans alike, George will be coming in as perhaps the best third option in the NBA who could elevate his game in a pinch should the need for it arise.

There are simply some players who aren't built to be the “bus driver”, so to speak, of a title-contending team. But this should not put a damper on their impact on winning basketball. Paul George may no longer be someone a team with championship aspirations can rely on as a primary option, as seen in the way he struggled against the Dallas Mavericks this past postseason. But playing off of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey should free George from pressure, allowing him to flourish in yet another contending situation that's tailor-made to his strengths.

George averaged 23-5-4 last season on 47/41/91 splits; he should average similar numbers on a 76ers team, so long as he avoids the injury bug.

Remembering Allen Iverson's Philly legacy

The shirt Paul George wore to his free agency meeting with the 76ers paid tribute to Allen Iverson's stellar 2000-01 season wherein he won league MVP honors over as elite of an opponent as it can get in Shaquille O'Neal. Iverson drove that 76ers team to a 56-win season, propping up the offense of a team that had above-average defenders across multiple positions.

But he didn't just take home the MVP award 23 years ago; that was when the 76ers made it all the way to the NBA Finals and even took a game off the historically-great Los Angeles Lakers team that came oh so close to going unbeaten for an entire playoff run.

In fact, that was the last time the 76ers made it past the second round of the playoffs. Thus, Allen Iverson's greatness remains alive and well in the mind of Sixers fans who would love nothing more than to see their team get past that hump.

At the very least, the 76ers should have the personnel to challenge for Eastern Conference supremacy in 2025. Paul George gives them a legitimate two-way star on the wing who could help deal with the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and the Sixers still have a few assets at their disposal to try and upgrade the team even further. The clock is ticking on the 76ers; let's see if they can deliver and make The Answer proud.