Philadelphia 76ers land Paul George in $317m NBA free agency stunner

The Philadelphia 76ers have made a monster move on the first day of NBA free agency, landing a nine-time All-Star in a huge deal.

The Philadelphia 76ers have made a huge move on the first day of NBA free agency, landing LA Clippers nine-time All-Star Paul George in a monster deal.

In a team that already boasts 2023 MVP Joel Embiid and 2024 Most Improved Player Tyrese Maxey, George’s signing will bolster the team’s title hopes.

Watch selected NRL, AFL, SSN games plus every F1 qualifying session and race live in 4K on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial today.

ESPN Insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported George had agreed to a four-year deal worth a reporter $US212 million ($A317m) deal.

It comes after the Clippers revealed negotiations had been going on for months with George but that the LA franchise was would not budge from a three-year offer.

The Clippers released a statement to pay tribute to the departing star.

“Paul is a tremendous talent and an elite two-way player,” the Clippers statement read.

“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.”

Paul George has landed a huge deal. Photo: Harry How/Getty Images/AFP

The statement added that George and the Clippers “were left far apart”, adding “the gap was significant”.

It is a huge move for the 76ers, who are looking to break through for their first NBA championship since 1983.

But fans have slammed the Clippers after trading five first round picks and the right to trade two more, as well as 2023-24 MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari to nab George in 2019 to partner Kawhi Leonard.

In that time, the Clippers have made one conference finals, one conference semi-final and two first round exits in five years.

What the Clippers traded for Paul George in 2019. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ckt4QbOZ2f

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 1, 2024

NBA writer Tomer Azarly commented: “The Clippers traded the farm to bring Paul George home, acquired as many point guards to help ease the ball-handling responsibilities, had his worst postseason performance in a decade when he was needed most, watched his 2 co-stars take less to build a contender in a restrictive CBA, and left in the end because he could make more elsewhere.”

Fox’s Skip Bayless said although the 76ers overpaid for George: “He definitely improves their chances of beating Boston in the playoffs next season and the next.”

Clippers writer for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Farbod Esnaashari posted: “Maxing a guy who has only played 25 playoff games since 2020, only averaged 19 points in the last playoffs, and just turned 34 is wild.”

Another fan said: “Clippers gave up their entire future for Paul George and let him walk for nothing. Enjoy poverty.”

Is George the missing piece for the 76ers? Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

The 76ers are expected to lock in Maxey on a five-year deal, which is expected to be worth in excess of $US205m ($A307m), with NBA insider Marc Stein reporting Philadelphia will move “swiftly” to lock in the 23-year-old.

Maxey had a breakout season last year, earning his first All-Star nod and averaging 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists.

The 76ers also re-signed free agents Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre Jr. on Monday.

But the linchpin continues to be Embiid.

Philadelphia was 31-8 with Embiid in the starting line-up last season but 16-27 without him.

Philadelphia lost to the Knicks in the first round of the 2024 playoffs.

The team has lost in the second round of the playoffs in five of the last seven seasons and hope adding George to the mix might be the way past the likes of NBA Champions Boston in the Eastern Conference.

George was an All-Star for the Pacers, Thunder and Clippers and is on the hunt for the first title of his career.

With New York Post