Paul George declines player option with Clippers, 76ers expected to ‘aggressively pursue’

Another domino has fallen with Paul George, and this one is significant.

George is declining his $48.7 million option with the Clippers and is entering free agency, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported. He is planning to set meetings with cap space teams and the Clippers beginning Sunday night. An opt-in/trade scenario is now gone.

So, at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, George will officially be an unrestricted free agent and be able to negotiate contracts with any and all teams. And it sounds like the 76ers are planning to “aggressively pursue” George and are a “legitimate threat” to Los Angeles, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT.

The 34-year-old has been the Sixers’ top target in this free agency, and he is now open. There was a report during this saga that they had lost interest in going for George, but they seem to be back open for business.

The Sixers have $65 million George’s max contract starts at $49.3 million. The most the Sixers can offer George is a four-year deal worth over $212 million. Here is the year-by-year breakdown of a max-deal:

George averages 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field in the 2023-24 season. In six postseason games, he averaged 19.5, 6.8, and 4.8 and shot 41.1 percent from the field.

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