Paul George has agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract to join the Philadelphia 76ers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported early Monday.
George joins a 76ers team featuring seven-time All-Star and 2023 MVP Joel Embiid and All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey, the reigning NBA Most Improved Player. The addition of George resets the balance of power in the Eastern Conference, where the 76ers seek to join the champion Boston Celtics as contenders for the NBA title.
The transaction is the most significant of the NBA offseason since teams were permitted to negotiate with players from other teams starting Sunday. George, a nine-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection, opted out of the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
The Clippers announced Sunday evening that negotiations with Paul had failed and that he was not going to return to the team. Paul spent five season with the Los Angeles alongside fellow All-Star Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers acquired George via a 2019 trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder hoping that he and Leonard could deliver the franchise’s first NBA title.
With both stars plagued by injuries, the Clippers never made it to the NBA Finals. Their best effort with George and Leonard saw the Clippers advance to the Western Conference finals in 2021, where they lost to the Phoenix Suns.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Source Agencies
