In a recent episode of the ‘Podcast P’ show, Clippers swingman Paul George explained why the 76ers are starting at a disadvantage in contract negotiations this summer. As he explained on the show, the history between James Harden (his current Clippers teammate) and 76ers GM/President Daryl Morey has given him a reason to hesitate to join their ranks.
“Believe it or not, players talk,” said George. “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.”
After being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019, Paul George (a 9x All-Star) has spent the past five seasons with the Clippers where he’s averaged 23.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game on 45% shooting. As the sidekick for Kawhi Leonard, his two-way game has made the perfect fit for the team and it has resulted in the most prosperous era in Clippers history.
George, 34, has a player option for the 2024-25 season worth $48.7 million. All throughout the campaign, and into the summer, George has been trying to negotiate a new max extension with the Clippers but both sides remain deadlocked on an agreement.
The 76ers have been mentioned as one of the biggest threats to lure George away from his current situation and he could thrive with the franchise playing beside superstar center Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. As one of the few teams with enough cap space, the b76ers have a real opportunity to build a new dynasty in the East. Unfortunately, the team’s history with James Harden could disrupt their attempts to sign Paul George.
Harden was a 76er for just 79 regular season games, where he averaged 21.0 points, 10.6 assists, and 6.4 rebounds per game. He often put up big numbers as the starting point guard for the 76ers but they never achieved team success when it mattered the most.
Eventually, things turned ugly last summer when Daryl Morey failed to deliver on the contract the max contract had promised to Harden. The Beard put on a full show amid his anger and publicly called Morey a liar for trying to lowball his offer. What followed was a chaotic and personal war between the two that only ended when Harden was traded to the Clippers in late October.
As a free agent this summer, 34-year-old Harden is once again free to choose his own destiny and we can be pretty sure that the 76ers are completely off the table as long as Morey is in charge. In the eyes of Harden and his friends, what Morey did was akin to the ultimate betrayal
After seeing and hearing firsthand accounts of how that entire situation played out, Paul George has decided to take a cautious approach with the franchise so he can avoid being burned as his teammate did.
In fact, for many players and perspective-free agents, the treatment from the 76ers against Harden and others will spark a lot of scrutiny across the league, and many of them will think twice before signing up to join the franchise on a long-term contract.
Fortunately, the 76ers should still be competitive with Embiid and Maxey over the next few years but their dreams of adding a third star may be nothing more than wishful thinking right now given that the James Harden saga is still fresh in everyone’s minds.
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