Paul George, who spent the last five seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, is expected to officially be announced as the newest member of the Philadelphia 76ers sooner rather than later after reportedly agreeing to a four-year, $212 million contract. But PG in Philadelphia could have been a reality a year ago if a trade involving George's Clippers teammate James Harden had gone through.
The Clippers entered the 2023-24 season just as they had done before: with hopeful optimism that their talented core would be able to stay healthy enough to make a run at a championship. The 76ers, on the other hand, were dealing with a crisis of sorts after Harden, the team's starting point guard, said publicly that he would never play for Philadelphia again after Daryl Morey, the team's president, allegedly reneged on a long-term extension with Harden. While the Clippers didn't necessarily need Harden, adding another All-Star-caliber player to the roster would, in theory, bolster the team's championship hopes.
In trade talks, Morey, notorious for asking for larger-than-realistic returns, reportedly asked the Clippers for George in exchange for Harden despite the 76ers having relatively little leverage.
“In the aftermath of Harden's very public insistence that he'd never play for the 76ers again, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank called Morey to inquire about making a deal. Morey asked for George in return,” ESPN's Ramona Shelburne wrote.
“That was a nonstarter for a Clippers franchise that was facing a similar time pressure to win with Leonard and George, who they'd acquired at great expense and even greater fanfare in 2019. Each year of the partnership had been marked by some unfortunate event: the bubble in 2020, Leonard's torn ACL that marred the 2021 playoffs and 2022 season, George's elbow injury in 2022 and knee injury in 2023.”
76ers and Clippers reset after Paul George signing
Now, a year later, things worked out, more or less, how they could have in 2023. After another postseason defined by injuries for both teams, Paul George is (or will soon be) paired up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on the Philadelphia 76ers, while James Harden is expected to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $70 million deal and continue to try to overcome the health issues that have consistently plagued Kawhi Leonard and L.A.'s second franchise.
George's departure from the Clippers will serve as a fresh start of sorts for both franchises. For the Clippers, it officially marks the end of the PG-Kawhi era that began in 2019 when the duo arrived from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Toronto Raptors. The Clippers have already gone to work in attempts to retool their roster despite some of the salary cap limitations, including signing Dallas Mavericks defensive dynamo Derrick Jones Jr., talented yet problematic guard Kevin Porter Jr., and the returning Nicolas Batum, the latter of whom was reluctantly shipped to Philadelphia in the Harden trade last year.
For the 76ers, George's signing gives the team another shot at pairing an All-Star-level player with superstar big man Embiid, who has struggled with his own injuries over the years. Despite Embiid undoubtedly being one of the best players in the NBA, evident by his 2023 NBA MVP, the 76ers have failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001. George is expected to replace the spot formerly held by Tobias Harris, who after several highly criticized seasons, has reportedly agreed to return to the Detroit Pistons.
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