The Philadelphia 76ers and All-Star forward Paul George have agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract in free agency, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. After months of rumors about whether they will or won’t land George, the Sixers outlasted all the other suitors and got their next star.
George's decision to leave the Los Angeles Clippers is a massive one. After five seasons with his hometown team, the 34-year-old has decided to spend the remainder of his days as a star-level player with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers. George will likely be the best player to change teams in the 2024 offseason and is the best free agent that Philadelphia has ever signed in the modern era.
Rumors had percolated about whether the 76ers genuinely wanted to add George. Speculations about their interest and disinterest made it tough to gauge whether George simply tried to use Philly as leverage to get LA to offer a bigger contract. He also decided to opt out of his $48.7 million contract for 2024-25, which ended the Golden State Warriors' trade pursuit. After weighing all his options, George decided to leave the Clippers and pass on other suitors like the Orlando Magic to sign with Philadelphia.
76ers assemble star trio with addition of Paul George
The Sixers have been eager to fill the void left by James Harden with another star player and have found their man in one of Harden's now-former teammates. In Paul George, they are adding a very accomplished veteran who plays a position of need.
In 74 games last season, George averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from deep and a career-best 90.7 percent from the free-throw line. Even as he fades out of stardom, he has enough left in the tank to be a major, major upgrade on the wing for Philly.
George's ability to shoot from deep makes him a super clean fit for the Sixers. He shot 39.7 percent from deep on 7.9 three-point attempts per game during his Clippers tenure, shooting very efficiently on catch-and-shoot looks. With Embiid and Maxey to lead the offense, George can focus mostly on simply getting buckets, though the Sixers will have him do his fair share of creating shots, too. PG-13 will benefit heavily from the looks Maxey and Embiid make for him while also making it tougher for defenses to send extra defenders.
As a defender, George has a great track record but his value has started to deplete on that end as he gets older. Although he shouldn’t be a truly bad defender, the Sixers would be wise to assemble a starting lineup with a defensive-minded forward who can take the other team's top wing assignment. George's ability to generate steals will still make him a more helpful presence on defense.
Although George did play in 74 games last season, he brings some injury risk with him to the 76ers. He missed at least 18 games in each of the prior four seasons, sustaining injuries to various body parts and missing at least five consecutive games on eight separate occasions during his five years with the Clippers. Given Embiid's lengthy injury history, it's very risky to build a team around the hopes that they can both remain healthy by the end of the season.
However, George was the best player that the 76ers had a chance to add this offseason without spending draft capital on top of cap space to get him. Being able to lean on Embiid and Maxey will help him age more gracefully and give him a chance to compete in the playoffs. Philadelphia's window to win a championship isn’t long but it has improved with the addition of George.
The 76ers came into the 2024 offseason with more than enough cap space to sign a player to a max contract, and they've already gone to work making other additions. Although Nico Batum is reportedly leaving, Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon plan to sign in free agency. Maxey is in line for a max contract extension, and Philly reportedly re-signed Kelly Oubre Jr. to a new two-year contract as well. The team maintains interest in retaining veteran point guard Kyle Lowry.
With George set to join Maxey and Embiid in Philadelphia, the 76ers will undoubtedly be one of the favorites to make the 2025 NBA Finals.
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