Paul George inks four-year, $212M contract with Sixers

Paul George inks four-year, $212M contract with Sixers

PAUL George is now officially a Sixer.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the 6-8 free agent forward has agreed to terms with the Philadelphia 76ers, signing a four-year, $212 million dollar deal with the Eastern Conference powerhouse on Monday afternoon (Philippine time)

The nine-time NBA All-Star comes in after spending five years with the Los Angeles Clippers, as his partnership with Kawhi Leonard, and later Russell Westbrook  and James Harden, comes to a disappointing end.

Now George comes in and joins a solid Sixers squad bannered by former MVP Joel Embiid and brilliant spitfire guard Tyrese Maxey, officially forming a new Big Three in the City of Brotherly Love.

Paul George averaged 22.6 points for the Clippers last season.

Paul George averaged 22.6 points for the Clippers last season. PHOTO: AP

Still formidable

Though his time with the Clippers didn’t end with a ring, the former All-NBA First Team member remains one of the best players in the league after posting averages of 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals last season.

His shooting splits in that stretch was the best in his entire career, posting career highs in field goal percentage (47.1), three-point percentage (41.3) and free throw percentage (90.7), in a relatively healthy season with 74 games played.

His addition definitely plugs the need for the Sixers to add another scoring option on the wing and complement the Embiid-Maxey duo, a pair that is slowly turning into one of the best one-two punches in the league.

But an injury to Embiid midway through the season halted the Sixers’ momentum, and while the Cameroonian-American big returned in a big way for the playoffs, their lack of a third-option was apparent.

In The Hunt For That Ring

The Sixers will be George’s fourth team in 15 seasons after spending time with the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder and the LA Clippers.

Those teams were relatively solid, but George and his squad has always run into some of the most formidable squads in the playoffs, and he’s hoping that this stint with the Sixers would finally give him the only thing missing from what has been an illustrious NBA career – a ring.