Paul George has Agreed a maximum four-year, $212 million contract to join the Philadelphia 76ers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported early Monday.
George joins a 76ers team that includes seven-time All-Star and 2023 MVP Joel Embiid and All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, the reigning NBA Most Improved Player who agreed to a five-year, $204 million contract on Monday. George’s addition restores the balance of power in the Eastern Conference, where the 76ers look to join the champion Boston Celtics as NBA title contenders.
George, a 6-foot-4 forward, remains one of the league’s best two-way players at age 34. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game on 47.1 percent shooting from the field and a career-best 41.3 percent from 3-point range last season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Los Angeles Clippers.
The transaction is the largest of the NBA offseason since teams were allowed to negotiate with players from other franchises beginning Sunday. George, a nine-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection, opted to terminate the last year of his contract with the Clippers on Saturday. The Clippers announced Sunday night that Negotiations with Paul had failed. and that he was not going to return to the team.
Will George help Philadelphia win a title?
Alongside Embiid in the post and Maxey at point guard, George completes one of the NBA’s most formidable trios, though health will remain a concern. George played 74 games in 2023-24, but hadn’t played more than 56 games in any of his previous four seasons.
A knee injury derailed Embiid’s MVP-winning run last season, limiting him to 39 games. Plagued by injuries throughout his career, Embiid has never played more than 68 games in a single season and has played in 51 games or fewer in six of the 10 seasons since the 76ers selected him with the third pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. If both can stay healthy alongside Maxey, the 76ers project as a top contender for an NBA title.
What happens now with the Clippers?
George spent five seasons with the The Angels alongside his All-Star teammate Kawhi LeonardThe Clippers acquired George via a trade in 2019 with the Oklahoma City Thunder in hopes that he and Leonard could secure the franchise’s first NBA title. Los Angeles sent Oklahoma City A blockbuster package that included five first-round draft picks, two pick swaps, danilo gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexanderwho has been selected to the All-NBA First Team twice and MVP Finalist.
With both stars plagued by injuries, the Clippers never made it to the NBA Finals. Their best effort with George and Leonard saw the Clippers advance to the Western Conference Finals in 2021, where they lost to the Phoenix Suns.
The Clippers made several reported moves at the start of free agency on Sunday, but none that would counter George’s departure. Los Angeles reportedly Agreed to re-sign former MVP point guard James Harden In addition to reaching terms with former Dallas Mavericks forward Derrick Jones Jr..
They too They reportedly agreed to the terms with ex Houston Rockets point guard Kevin Porter Jr., who is returning to the NBA after a one-year absence following domestic assault charges.
For the ClippersNegotiations with Paul fell apart after months of negotiations. Wojnarowski reports that the Clippers did not back down from a three-year contract offer, while George wanted the four-year deal he ultimately agreed to with the 76ers.