Paul George agrees to sign four-year, $212 million deal with Sixers

But George’s recruitment was the headliner of the start of free agency.

It was no secret that George was the player the Sixers coveted. The Sixers previously inquired about George when they sent James Harden to Los Angeles in the blockbuster trade on Nov. 1. Then sources confirmed months later that George would be the team’s No. 1 option in free agency, and the Southern California native was said to have mutual interest in the Sixers.

But at the time, cynics believed George’s interest was more about creating leverage with the Clippers.

This wasn’t the first time the Sixers and their fan base had high hopes of landing George.

In the summer of 2018, they went “star hunting” to secure either George, Leonard, or LeBron James — and struck out on all three. James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. The San Antonio Spurs traded Leonard to the Toronto Raptors. And George re-signed with Oklahoma City Thunder. The belief was that George and James were only connected to the Sixers as leverage.

This time, the Golden State Warriors also served as a threat.

The Warriors thought they had a chance to add George via a sign-and-trade. To get traded there, George would have needed to opt into the final year of his deal. The Warriors and Clippers had discussions up to the final minutes of his deadline to opt in. George reportedly gave the Warriors a strong indication that he wanted to be traded there. However, the Clippers declined to go through with the deal, leaving George to opt out.

That’s when Philly became the front-runner, sources say. But based on what happened in 2018 and George’s reported desire to play with Golden State, Sixers faithful experienced a level of uneasiness until he concluded Sunday’s meeting with the Clippers.

Now, George’s presence is encouraging for a Sixers franchise with championship aspirations.

He is still one of the better wings in the league and his addition could catapult the Sixers back into the NBA’s elite. The six-time All-NBA selection and four-time All-Defensive pick averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals this season. He shot a career-best 41.3% on three-pointers.

The Sixers still have a few roster spots to fill.

Along with Maxey’s agreement, Embiid, Paul Reed, and Ricky Council IV are the only other returning players under contract — with Reed and Council on non-guaranteed deals.

The team added Jared McCain with the 16th pick and Adem Bona with the 41st in last week’s NBA draft. And Drummond and Gordon will bring a veteran presence.

The Sixers are looking to add five-time All-Star Klay Thompson, who also has free agency meetings set up with the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Clippers. They also had interest in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but the shooting guard agreed to a three-year, $66 million deal with the Magic.

Source have said the Sixers would have liked to bring back Batum, Oubre Jr., and Kyle Lowry in free agency.

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