A lot of eyes were on Paul George once the NBA Draft ended. Everyone understood that the Philadelphia 76ers were in serious pursuit of the veteran swingman, and the veteran swingman’s stint with the Los Angeles Clippers has been anything but productive.
Some of the more hopeful pockets of the Clippers fandom hoped that George would somehow stay and try to make it work with Kawhi Leonard. However, their feeble hopes were instantly dashed when PG13 decided to end his stay in the City of Angels and join the Philadelphia 76ers on a massive contract.
While the move was shocking, it made sense if you looked at it from a basketball perspective. There was no assurance that Leonard would be able to keep himself healthy long enough that he could actually impact the most important games of the season.
Moreover, George is 34. If he wants to win a championship, staying with a team with a future as clear as New Orleans’ swamp water is the worst way for his title hopes.
It might have also helped that the Sixers did everything they could to sell George into the idea of playing with Joel Embiid.
Philadelphia 76ers executives met up with Paul George before agreeing to a big four-year deal
After breaking the news that George was leaving the Clippers for the Sixers in free agency, he then revealed that the team spared nothing in ensuring George was going to come to Philly and help the City of Brotherly Love win their first NBA title in 31 years:
George and his agent Aaron Mintz of CAA met with Sixers officials including owner Josh Harris, Daryl Morey, Elton Brand and legend Julius Erving in LA. PG agreed on a deal that includes a player option, sources said. https://t.co/u5AZ0rz2sk
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2024
The Philadelphia 76ers made it clear in the meeting that as an organization, they believe George can become the missing link they badly needed to finally break through the East and have a shot at the NBA title.
Since the Sixers have Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on the team, Paul George will have more freedom to exert his will on defense without compromising his effectiveness on offense. It wouldn’t be weird to expect him to have numbers similar to his 2023-24 season, if not better.
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