NBA free agency is officially underway, and the Philadelphia 76ers are a team that is currently in flux.
Amid rumors that superstar Paul George may join the team in free agency, word is that veteran forward Nicolas Batum will not be back with the 76ers, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
Batum averaged 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 60 games for the 76ers last season. Philadelphia acquired Batum in the three-team deal with the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder that sent James Harden to Los Angeles.
Over his 16-year NBA career, Batum has played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, Clippers, and 76ers. A long two-way forward who has always carried a solid defensive reputation wherever he has played, Batum holds career averages of 10.4 points and five rebounds per game.
The 76ers could be ensuring that they have the financial space to add George and any other pieces that they hope to acquire, hence Batum not returning in free agency. Batum and George are both small forwards who can play stretch-four.
Paul George coming to the 76ers?
Paul George officially has decided to opt out of his player option, which means he's a free agent. While this doesn't inherently mean that George is out of LA, it does close the door on the opt-in-and-trade scenarios being bandied about and means George will either sign somewhere new outright or work out a sign-and-trade with the Clippers.
With the Golden State Warriors' chances all but gone after this decision, the76ers believe that they will have a serious chance of prying PG13 away from the Clippers.
Several NBA insiders weighed in.
Said Marc Stein, “The Philadelphia 76ers have a significant measure of renewed hope in their bid to win the Paul George Sweepstakes. Despite a persistent belief around the league that staying with the Clippers is his true preference and that George does not want to move away from the West Coast, Philadelphia will now have a real opportunity to sign him away outright with its maximum salary cap space projected to exceed $60 million … as well as their apparent willingness to furnish a four-year offer.”
Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes confirmed later Sunday that there's “growing optimism” about the 76ers landing George, with Stein following up his initial report by saying they're also exploring the possibility of signing both George and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. While that seems a bit far-fetched given how much money needed to sign both players, never say never.
George will certainly command a lot of attention in free agency, but the 76ers have been linked to him since mid-season. With Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey needing just one more significant two-way player to make a real championship push, George could be just the player that they need.
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