After opting out of his deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, free agent forward Paul George has come to terms on a 4 year, $212M contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
According to reports, the deal will include a player option for the 2027-28 season, and will feature an AAV of $53M.
George was heavily recruited by Philadelphia to join a core which features All-Stars Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey as the club attempts to dethrone the Boston Celtics in the wide open Eastern Conference.
Across 74 games with the Clippers in 2023-24, the 34 year old averaged 22.6pts/5.2reb/3.5ast per contest while shooting 41.3% from beyond the arc. A nine time All-Star himself, George opted for a change of scenery in his pursuit for an NBA championship even though LA brought back both Kawhi Leonard and James Harden for next season.
After it became clear that George would not be returning to the club, the Clippers issued a team statement saying “Paul is a tremendous talent and an elite two-way player. We feel fortunate for the five years we spent with him. Over that span, he went to three All-Star Games, made the most 3-pointers in franchise history and helped lead the team to a place it had never been. His performances in Games 5 and 6 against Utah in 2021 won’t be forgotten by anyone associated with the Clippers.”
“We traded a lot to pair Paul and Kawhi [Leonard], and in exchange, we had five seasons of contention. Even though we fell short of our ultimate objective, we appreciate the chances we had with Paul.”
In addition to acquiring George, Philadelphia also confirmed that they had reached new deals with SG Kelly Oubre Jr., G Eric Gordon, and C Andre Drummond for 2024-25 as well.
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