The Philadelphia 76ers are emerging as the strong favorites to sign Paul George in free agency, according to sources who spoke with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. This development comes after George informed the LA Clippers that he intends to sign with another team. George’s agent, Aaron Mintz of CAA, had a conversation with Clippers president Lawrence Frank on Sunday night, but no new progress was made on a deal. Consequently, the Clippers released a statement confirming George’s decision to move on.
A Sixers delegation is scheduled to meet with George in California later on Sunday night, sources told Wojnarowski. “Paul has informed us that he is signing his next contract with another team,” the Clippers said in their statement. “Paul is a tremendous talent and an elite two-way player. We feel fortunate for the five years we spent with him. Over that span, he went to three All-Star Games, made the most 3-pointers in franchise history, and helped lead the team to a place it had never been. His performances in Games 5 and 6 against Utah in 2021 won’t be forgotten by anyone associated with the Clippers.”
The Clippers acknowledged that they traded a lot to pair George with Kawhi Leonard, and although they fell short of their ultimate objective, they appreciated the chances they had with George. The decision to part ways with George comes after what the Clippers described as a “significant” gap in contract negotiations. George was eligible to sign an extension of up to four years and $221 million during the season. However, the two sides were far apart in their negotiations.
After the Clippers and Leonard agreed to a three-year, $150 million extension in January, George was optimistic about securing his own extension soon. But the gap in negotiations remained significant. George is now eligible to sign a four-year, $212 million contract with teams that have cap space.
The Clippers, who have agreed to a two-year, $70 million deal with free agent point guard James Harden, explored a trade that would have required George to opt into his $48.8 million player option before Saturday’s deadline. However, the organization has taken a measured approach to roster construction, given the new collective bargaining agreement’s punitive measures for tax-paying teams like the Clippers.
“Heading into this offseason, our roster was constructed with three great players 33 and over, two of whom could become free agents,” the Clippers said in their statement. “We wanted to retain them on contracts that would allow us, under the constraints of the new CBA, to continue building the team. We negotiated for months with Paul and his representative on a contract that would make sense for both sides, and we were left far apart. The gap was significant. We understand and respect Paul’s decision to look elsewhere for his next contract. We explored an opt-in and trade scenario, but it would have left us in a similar position under the new CBA, with very little asset value to justify the restrictions.”
George’s departure marks the end of the Leonard-George era, which began in the summer of 2019 when Leonard chose to sign with the Clippers as a free agent, and the team struck a blockbuster trade to acquire George. The Clippers had to surrender a massive haul to acquire the All-Star wing, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, and multiple first-round picks.
The Leonard-George duo brought immense title expectations, but persistent injuries kept the pair from reaching the NBA Finals. The Clippers have one Western Conference Finals appearance in 2021 to show for the last five years. The past two postseasons ended in first-round exits, with George injured and unable to play, and Leonard also dealing with injuries.
Without George, the Clippers are proceeding into free agency with a $12.9 million mid-level exception and a $4.7 million bi-annual exception available. However, it will be incredibly difficult for the Clippers to replace George, a nine-time All-Star who averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists last season while shooting career highs of 47.1% from the field, 41.3% from 3-point range, and 90.7% from the free-throw line.
The Clippers said they now have flexibility under the new CBA and will explore opportunities to remain a playoff team with Leonard and Harden as they move into the new Intuit Dome. “We will miss Paul,” the team said. “At the same time, we’re excited by the opportunities we’ve now been afforded, including greater flexibility under the new CBA. Kawhi is an all-NBA player, and we believe Ty Lue is the best coach in the league. We will field a highly competitive team this season, and moving forward, use our organizational advantages to bring top talent to Intuit Dome.”
On Saturday, George declined his $48.8 million player option for the 2024-25 season to become an unrestricted free agent. He is now poised to take free-agent meetings with the Clippers, 76ers, and Orlando Magic after the new league year begins at 6 p.m. ET Sunday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
These might be his only three realistic options, which bodes well for the Sixers. Chris Haynes of TNT Sports described the Sixers as a “legitimate threat” to sign George this offseason. The Clippers have reportedly been offering George a three-year, $150 million extension, but George wants his full four-year, $221 million maximum contract.
The Sixers, who can create more than $60 million in cap space this summer, would have no problem fitting his $49.4 million maximum salary on their books for next season. They could have as much as $13.15 million in cap space after signing George to a max deal, plus the $8.0 million room mid-level exception.
The Magic can also create $50-plus million in cap space, but going much beyond that would require waiving Jonathan Isaac and his $17.4 million non-guaranteed contract. They would still have a young core of top-15 picks, but they’d be largely capped out after adding George.
Tea leaves suggest the Sixers are George’s most likely landing spot if he decides to leave the Clippers. The question now is whether the Sixers will offer him the full four-year, $212 million contract. If they do, will the Clippers move their offer up, or hold firm at three years and $150 million? Will George pass up the extra $62 million to stay in L.A., or head East to chase championships with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey?
As this dynamic plays out, the rest of the league could move along with free agency. The Sixers and Magic will have to weigh how long they’re willing to reserve their cap space for a run at George before pivoting elsewhere. The Sixers could get especially ravaged if other teams sign key players while they wait for George’s decision.
It might be worth the wait for the Sixers, as league sources “believe Philly is the front-runner” to acquire George, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. If George joins the Sixers, sources believe he will help recruit solid role players for the team’s pursuit of an NBA championship-caliber roster.
George played with Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, and KJ Martin on the Clippers before they headed to Philadelphia in the James Harden trade early last season. All three finished out the season with the Sixers and are now free agents. George recently spoke about how much the Clippers missed those three after the trade, highlighting their importance as glue guys and defenders.
If the Sixers manage to sign George, the success of the George-Maxey-Embiid trio may depend on their ensuing moves. If they can convince Batum, Covington, and Martin to stay on below-market-value contracts, it could help them spend the room MLE and some of their cap space elsewhere. The same goes for De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Lowry, the latter of whom seems more likely to return for cheap.
If the Sixers are forced to fill out their roster with minimum-salary signings from other teams, the Phoenix Suns’ inconsistent results from last offseason don’t bode well. The Sixers should hope that George effectively holds up the rest of the free-agent and trade market while he makes his decision. Other teams and free agents could exploit the desperation of teams that lose out in the George sweepstakes.
Whatever George decides will have major domino effects for the rest of the NBA. If he spurns the Sixers, they could suddenly have more than $60 million in cap space to use elsewhere. But if they land him, they’ll need to pivot to rounding out the rest of their roster on the cheap.
Source: ESPN, Philadelphia Inquirer, TNT Sports
