Patience is a virtue: Sixers land nine-time All-Star in win-win deal
Forward Paul George.
Daryl Morey's patience paid off this summer. So did Paul George's.
George got the four-year max contract he wanted, plus a player option, after the Clippers wouldn't offer him one. The 76ers patiently amassed cap space for the last few years and added a future Hall of Famer when the opportunity arrived. Now George will join All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on a 76ers team that looks like a title contender.
Morey hasn't had huge success in Philadelphia so far, but he's always held to a long-term vision for the team. The George signing is a move three years in the making, from the time Ben Simmons refused to play for Philadelphia before the 2021-22 season. Morey waited out Simmons' holdout, flipping him to the Nets for a disgruntled James Harden. When Harden was unhappy again 18 months later, Morey took his time and got a package of draft picks and expiring contracts while the Beard held out.
The goal was always to clear enough space for a maximum free-agent contract, which Morey achieved by getting expiring contracts and dumping P.J. Tucker's deal on the Clippers. He also held off trading Tobias Harris, allowing the forward's massive contract to expire. With Harden resigning with Los Angeles, it's as if Philadelphia traded Harden and Tucker for George, plus first-round picks, a deal that would have to be considered a massive steal.
George, meanwhile, bet on himself last season. Teammate Kawhi Leonard signed an extension during the year, getting a three-year deal for just under $150M. George resisted the Clippers efforts to get him to sign a deal short of the maximum dollars or years, and got a four-year deal for $212M in the end.
There's one area of concern. George's Clippers showed flashes of regular-season dominance, but were repeatedly derailed by injuries to their stars in the playoffs. This also describes the Sixers during the Embiid era. But George did play 74 games last season, and perhaps George's presence, plus the newly-signed Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond, will allow Embiid to rest more during the long season.
Next up for Philadelphia? Fill out the rest of the roster, making a decision on Kelly Oubre and others, before closing up business by handing Tyrese Maxey his own max contract.
The Sixers and George were both very patient, but after this signing, the future is now in the City of Brotherly Love.
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