76ers Sign Paul George to Max Deal

After many months of rumors, the Sixers officially did it while you were sleeping.

According to multiple reports the 76ers have signed Paul George to a 4 year $212 million deal. George, who will play this season at age 34, will be 38 at the end of this contract. The Sixers will now be moving forward with a big three of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and George for the rest of Embiid’s prime.

The debate on whether or not the Sixers should have given George this contact is one I have been battling for a while. On the positive side, just the simple fact that George is going from being the second option offensively in LA to the third will make how he is viewed more in a positive light. He will not be relied on to carry the offense, which will be helpful as he ages. George is also a very good three-point shooter, which will fit in well next to Embiid and Maxey. In 2023-24 George shot 41.3 % from three, and he is very good at shooting off the catch. With Embiid’s leap he took as a passer last year, gaining someone who is a good, and a willing catch-and-shoot player is massive. Another positive with George is that he is still a good defender. While he is no longer the defender he once was with the Pacers, he is still a good wing defender.

Paul George will be 38 years old when this contract ends, and while that is scary, I think his age falls in the neutral category. If the Sixers are going to win anything it will most likely be in years one, two, or three of this contract. The idea of Joel Embiid staying healthy long enough that four years from now the Sixers are still real title contenders is unlikely, so the first few years are all that matter. It is similar to Trea Turner‘s contract with the Phillies. While obviously Treas is much longer if they win a championship at the beginning of the contract you can live with the end. Now obviously the Sixers would have to win for years 3-4 to be worth it with him being in his upper 30s, but four years is not really that long of a time.

The flip side of the age is that if they do not win in years one or two, he could have a steep decline in years three and four and then you are stuck with an aging $53 million per year player, when the Embiid window may be closed, and the Maxey one will be opening. At that point, you have to hope that someone would like to take on an expiring contract, but I say let’s worry about year four when it comes.

While there are many positives to this move, there are some concerns as well. The biggest concern for me is his injury history. Even though he did play in 74 games last season, George has missed a lot of time with injuries. If he continues to get injured, and Embiid misses time like he always does, the Sixers could be a lower seed again like they were last year. Another concern is his playoff performances. While Embiid had a good playoff this past season, no one can deny that he has struggled in the playoffs in years past, and adding in another player who notoriously struggles in the playoffs is a concern. In last season’s playoffs, George scored under 20 points in half of the Clippers’ first-round games, including one game where he scored just 7 points. He had some playoff success in his days with the Pacers, but since then the Clippers have been a lot like the Sixers. A lot of expectations, but also a lot of failures. Hopefully, as the third option some of the weight will be lifted off his shoulders and he will be able to thrive in that role.

My final concern is that the Clippers did not want him back on a max contract. The Clippers are still trying to win as they just brought back James Harden on a 2-year $70 million deal, but they did not want George back at the max. Whenever a team who has had the player in their building and knows more about them is willing to lose the player, but still trying to win it’s concerning. Obviously the Clippers can be wrong teams are wrong all the time, but it does have to stop and make you wonder why.

All in all the Sixers had to make a move, and George was the best available option. The good news is that all he costs is money, so they still have all of their draft picks available to trade for impact players whether that is now, or at the deadline. With a core of Embiid, Maxey, and George the Sixers definitely have a shot to compete for a title, now let’s see what else Daryl Morey can add to this roster to make that dream a reality.

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