On Monday, July 1st, Paul George and the Philadelphia 76ers agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract. This massive news comes one day after George’s negotiations with the Los Angeles Clippers officially ended. On Sunday, the Clippers released a statement that there was too big of a gap between the two parties and they thanked the 34-year-old for his contributions. Philadelphia, which was already viewed as a frontrunner to land him, acted fast and met with George in California later in the evening. It wasn’t long after that Daryl Morey and Co. were able to land the nine-time All-Star and 2019 All-NBA First Team wing.
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In signing George, the Sixers now look like legitimate title contenders. Before the move, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Philadelphia at +1300 to win the NBA Finals and +550 to win the Eastern Conference. The Sixers are now +800 to win the championship and +400 to win the East.
A lot of people have noted that four years is a lot for a player George’s age. However, Philadelphia needs to do whatever it can to maximize Joel Embiid’s prime. The 2022-23 NBA MVP was playing at an MVP level before going down with a knee injury last year. He ultimately was able to return for the playoffs, but he was a little compromised and it was clear that the Sixers were a player away in their series with the New York Knicks. Well, George is certainly a player that can tip the scales in Philadelphia’s favor.
George might be on a bit of a decline at this point in his career, but he still averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game last season. And he did that on 47.1% shooting from the floor, 41.3% shooting from 3 and 90.7% shooting from the line. On top of that, George was also eighth in the NBA in Estimated Plus Minus (+5.7), according to Dunks & Threes. EPM is one of the best catch-all metrics around right now, and George was in the 96th percentile in Offensive EPM and the 91st percentile in Defensive EPM. There’s simply no denying that George is still one of the best two-way wings in basketball.
Offensively, George is an elite shooter from 3-point range, can create for himself off the bounce and is a high-level playmaker for a guy that operates primarily off the ball. He’s going to take a lot of pressure off both Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. He’ll also play extremely well off both of them, and the two of them will play well off him. Look for plenty of pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop plays with George operating as the ball handler and Embiid serving as the screener. But don’t be surprised if Nick Nurse also uses both George and Maxey as screeners for one another.
Defensively, George is still a player that you want on an island against some of the league’s best offensive players. Sure, that might change a little towards the end of this long-term contract, but the time for the Sixers to try and compete is right now. And if George and Embiid can somehow avoid the injury bug, this team has the ability to play with anyone.
The Sixers also utilized the George news to their advantage earlier in free agency, striking cheap deals with Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon. Both players clearly wanted the opportunity to go to battle with one of the best trios in the league. Philadelphia was also able to bring Kelly Oubre Jr. back on a two-year, $16.3 million deal. Oubre, a lengthy wing that can shoot the 3 and stay active defensively, is a nice player to stick next to George in the starting lineup. Philadelphia also has rookie Jared McCain, the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, as a spark off the bench. McCain was one of the best shooters in his draft class, so it isn’t hard to figure out why Morey wanted him on this team.
Overall, the Sixers have done really well to join the conversation at the top of the NBA. The Sixers are now second on the odds board behind the Boston Celtics to win the NBA title, meaning they have leapfrogged the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets and Knicks. That last one is a big one, as many viewed New York as the clear No. 2 in the East after the team’s move to acquire Mikal Bridges.
