The Philadelphia 76ers have started to back off their interest in making Paul George their primary target in free agency this summer. Shams Charania has reported that the team will look to utilize its summer resources elsewhere, with interest in George waning rapidly in recent days.
“The Philadelphia 76ers’ interest in pursuing Paul George has significantly waned in recent days, and the franchise is expected to be aggressive elsewhere with its salary cap flexibility and draft capital leading into next week’s NBA Draft, sources tell The Athletic.”
This is a big departure from what many believed was Joel Embiid openly recruiting George to the 76ers during a shared appearance on ESPN while the NBA Finals were taking place. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists last season for the Clippers and is expected to be the biggest name hitting the market.
The 76ers have only Embiid and Paul Reed under contract, meaning they can use nearly $80 million of their cap space to acquire the salary of major players without needing to empty out their roster. Tyrese Maxey is expected to re-sign, but the 76ers can accommodate him into their cap after signing a marquee free agent.
The 76ers backing off George is great news for the Clippers, who will like their chances of retaining him now that the 76ers are not invested in the race.
Did Paul George’s Comments About The 76ers Affect The Situation?
From openly recruiting George to saying they’ve lost interest, this situation seems to have soured quickly. The primary reason behind that could be George’s recent comments about trusting the 76ers and Daryl Morey after what the organization did with James Harden.
“Believe it or not, players talk. And then reputations go around, like, ‘Hey man, I don’t know about going to this place. Watch your back, you know what I mean?’ That’s the conversations you have.”
If the 76ers don’t pursue George, the 34-year-old runs out of viable options where he can contend for a title. But he also recently made it clear that contention is secondary to him, with his priorities lying with finding a home where he can play the ‘right’ kind of basketball.
“I want to contribute to winning basketball but at this point, it’s not even about ‘chasing a championship’ but it’s playing the right style of basketball is what I’m chasing.”
If Philly isn’t going after George, they can still keep looking at options such as Brandon Ingram and Jimmy Butler, though Butler’s contract would create roster-building issues similar to what signing George could have created. Ingram could be their top target now given that he’s younger and on a smaller contract.
There are multiple cap space teams who could make a run at George like the Pistons, but it doesn’t make sense for George to join them if his intention is to contend before retiring. Maybe a move to the Orlando Magic could be on the move as the addition of George could complete their maturation into a contending unit.
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