Early on Monday morning, George and Philadelphia accepted the conditions.
The Philadelphia 76ers agreed to agreement on a four-year max contract with forward Paul George early on Monday, making a splash in free agency while most of their supporters were still asleep, per several reports.
The $212 million deal was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It follows a month of interest expressions and a Sunday night meeting between George and a Philadelphia contingency that included general manager Elton Brand, NBA Hall of Famer Julius Erving, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, and owner of the 76ers Josh Harris.
In addition to 2022–23 MVP Joel Embiid and 2023–24 Most Improved Player Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers were thought to be the front-runners to sign George, who also had meetings scheduled with the Orlando Magic and Clippers. The 76ers were flush with cap space and wanted to add an impact player.
But the Sixers took the lead after George and his CAA agent Aaron Mintz met with Clippers brass and apparently failed to strike a deal, forcing the two teams to part ways.
The following is what the Clippers said in a statement, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
Paul has notified us that he will be signing a contract with a different organization soon. Paul is a superb player who can play both offense and defense. We consider the five years we had with him to be lucky.”
George, a quality two-way wing who has made nine All-Star teams in 14 NBA seasons, will now link up with Embiid and Maxey to form one of the league’s most deadly trios.
George averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 41.3 percent from outside the arc in 74 games for Los Angeles last season.
