David Murphy: Paul George was the Sixers' only hope for a title. The risk is big. The odds speak for themselves.

But the upside is what matters to Morey and the Sixers. When they looked at the various ways they could deploy their cap space and draft picks, they saw only one where a championship was a potential outcome. By the time the offseason officially began, they were all-in.

It began as it always does, with billowing smoke and raging fire and a commissioner standing in the midst of the inferno announcing, “Gentlemen, start your matchbooks.” Less than four hours into the official start of the free-agent signing period, the Clippers released a statement that all but announced that George would become a Sixer. The All-Star wing, coveted by Morey and his front office as the one and only attainable player who could legitimatize their title aspirations, had rejected his hometown team’s best offer. The Clippers would not budge from the three years and roughly $152.4 million they felt was prudent to offer a player who will turn 35 next May. The Sixers had no such qualms.

For much of the last two months, the idea of George suiting up next to Embiid and Tyrese Maxey was little more than the latest fit of fantasy that envelops the Sixers front office every few years. We’d heard it before. We’d seen how it plays out. Their belief that George would consider a move to the East Coast, that the Clippers would allow it, was difficult to accept as grounded in reality. Therein lies Morey’s strengths. He understands how the NBA operates.

Think back to when he arrived. Everyone said the Sixers were stuck. They let Butler walk, then watched him walk the Heat to the NBA Finals. Horford was one year into a four-year contract. The cap room was gone. The draft picks were dwindling.

Out went Horford, in came Maxey. The Sixers finished 2020-21 as the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Simmons passed up a dunk. The Sixers passed up a legitimate opportunity at the NBA Finals. Simmons demanded a trade. They were stuck again.

Out went Simmons, in came James Harden. One year later, the Sixers had the Celtics on the ropes. They chunked Game 6 and no-showed Game 7. Harden opted in and demanded a trade. They were stuck again.

The fear now is that they are about to sign a contract that will lead to a conclusion only fools would ignore. The most logical reason George will sign with the Sixers is because he knows how unlikely it is for him to be worth the money that they are willing to guarantee him through his 37-year-old season. He will do so knowing that superstars always have outs, as long as they perform at a superstar level, or anywhere close to it.

But, then, the same goes for teams.

Therein lies the logic. The Sixers are not at a point where they can build in a deliberate manner while also maximizing their chances at winning a title with Embiid. The optimal strategy is not available to them. If they do not sign George, they end up with the same sort of team that they had last season, one that enters the season well shy of the Celtics and Knicks in the East. With George, they at least have an upside if everything breaks right.

Maximize the present, and deal with the rest of it as it comes. It is not an ideal game. It is simply the one that must be played.