As of now, there is only one player fully under contract with the Sixers for next season: Joel Embiid. Having reached the end of his rookie lease, Tyrese Maxey will obviously be extended, while the contracts of Paul Reed and Ricky Council IV are not guaranteed, and that of Jeff Dowtin is a “team option”.
Clearly, President Daryl Morey is almost starting from a blank page to surround his Maxey/Embiid duo…
With an envelope of 65 million dollars to recruit, Philadelphia has enough to recruit and the Philadelphia Inquirer confirms that Paul George is the priority of the Pennsylvania franchise.
This is because while we expected to see him extend to the Clippers following Kawhi Leonard, the rear/winger ultimately did not find an agreement with his club, and he can become a “free agent » this summer, if he decides to give up his last year of contract as a “player option”, at 48.8 million dollars. Los Angeles would have wanted to align its contract with that of “The Klaw”, refusing to go beyond $152.3 million over three years, while Paul George can obtain a maximum of $221 million over four years from of the Clippers.
Brandon Ingram, plan B?
Steve Ballmer hopes that Paul George will agree to return without taking the maximum, just to stay at home in Los Angeles. He's probably also banking on the fact that “PG13” is already 34 years old, and that even if the Sixers can offer him $212 million over four years, that might be a lot at this stage of his career.
On the Sixers side, we in any case think that Paul George's “two-way player” profile is ideal alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Capable of defending at a high level, without being the team's first offensive option, the former Pacers and Thunder player could indeed be a third blade of choice…
But the Philadelphia Inquirer still notes that the Sixers have other options, with LeBron James And OG Anunoby who should also be “free agents”. Even if they will not be free, Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine Or Brandon Ingram could for their part be recoverable via a transfer.
According to The Ringerthe Pelicans winger would also be the Sixers' plan B if the Paul George option falls through.
