MASSIVE Paul George Free Agent Update…

MASSIVE Paul George Free Agent Update…

the Philadelphia 76ers offseason plan has yet to be revealed and there’s still a lot on the line most notably it is dependent on who that big fish will be who that third star to pair with Joell and be and tyes Maxi will be to dictate what a lot of the other decisions will be well they got some good news on the potential availability of Paul George which is great news on what should be the plan a for the Sixers organization I want to dive into what specifically that is what that means for the Sixers why Paul George is the best option for this team from all the financial and salary cap implications as well as the future planning there and everything else about Paul George here so let’s start off with the initial report and this is probably the most optimistic that I have been on Paul George actually becoming available here as we have this report from Brian windhorse on the Pat McAfee show that says Paul George and the Clippers are reportedly quote not on the same page in contract negotiations so we know a bit of the stalemate here that Paul George very clearly wanting that full max deal and Kawhi Leonard kind of setting the precedent in that clipp as organization that that’s not the way that they’re going to do business that everybody’s got to eat here everyone’s got to sacrifice a little bit and it does not seem like Paul George is holding the same sentiment here now we also got some news from the Sixers angle here from that same Report with Wendy who says that the Sixers are prepared to give Paul George a Max contract this offseason should the nine-time All-Star opt out of his player option with the Los Angeles Clippers uh wior said on the pat MCA show quote the two teams that are expected to have a serious look at him are the Sixers who had opened up cap space to give him a Max contract over 50 million to start and the Orlando matchup so the Orlando Magic a bit of a sleeper team in this conversation I do think that they’re going to be in the market for over prepaying players but to be perfectly honest I think it makes a lot more sense for like the Klay Thompsons of the world or players like that to go down to Orlando if Paul George just want to chill out for the rest of his career that’s certainly a spot for him Orlando is not a team that’s horrible but I do think that if he does want to contend if he does want a part of a potential Championship run and ring on his finger Philadelphia is the destination and I do think that even applies When comparing to the Los Angeles Clippers that I think it’s a a tough angle to believe that Kawhi Leonard will ever be healthy again to go on that type of playoff run and it’s obviously a different story if there was a belief that that was the case that there’s no doubt about how talented Kawhi Leonard is when he’s able to play but it’s just frustrating how little those opportunities to present itself now I know Joel embiid is not the model of Health here but he’s still more available than kawhai and still a guy that’s seemingly able to play through a little bit more than kawhai that it does feel like kawai’s injuries specifically are ones that shut him down and are pretty impossible to play through that is not a fault of his that’s unfortunately the cards that he has been dealt Joel’s been a guy that we’ve seen playing through torn meniscus playing through broken face torn ligament on his thumb the list goes on and on here but I do want to talk a little bit about Paul George specifically and I personally am of the mindset where Paul George is clear-cut the number one option for the Sixers this off season and why I fully believe that is because you can just straight up sign the guy that even if in a vacuum you believe a player like Jimmy Butler or Lebron James or Brandon Ingram LeBron a bit of a different conversation point for this one specific specifically but any of these players that we are talking about you got to give to get that it takes digging into your draft picks takes finding salaries to match that with these Sixers basically have none of on their current roster Paul George is a guy where you simply write out the check and hand it to him and he becomes a member of the Philadelphia 76ers and what that means is they have so much flexibility moving forward that you can trade those future draft picks you’re not going all in on this specific move so I did want to bring down or break out down this write up from Brian to peric of Bleacher Report here Brian does some awesome work he’s kind of the Sal cap Guru that I referred to but he had an interesting perspective on this that I did want to read he says the Sixers reported interest in Paul George is perhaps the worst kept Seeker in the NBA in late May Kevin o Conor of the ringer reported that signing George was the Sixers plan a this off season if the Los Angeles Clippers don’t offer him more than the three-year $149.79 point2 million offer and just to interject a little bit here that’s essentially the difference between the Clippers and the Sixers offer it is that final year for about $60 million in theory Paul George could still sign with this with the Clippers the dollar amount is not that different and then look to get another contract but it is also realistic to think at his age at this point at the decline that we’re kind of seeing in his game to an extent or at least you know what his body’s able to put up with that it’s not the most likely case you’re going to get that type of top dollar when negotiating in that spot so he certainly might prioritize wanting to get his money now now continues on to say on paper George might be the cleanest fit of any Star available to the Sixers this off season the nine-time All-Star is a career 38.5% shooter from three-point range on nearly seven attempts per game and he has four all defensive team nods as well he’s also a capable secondary playmaker having average at least five assists per game in three of the Past Four Seasons George just turned 34 at the beginning of May but these Sixers don’t appear concerned about how a four-year Max will age for him although he earned 61.2 million in the final of a Max contract the salary cap could be up to nearly 190 Million by then besides the Sixers need to focus on the now and there’s no telling how much longer embiid will be playing at his current level cooler heads eventually seem likely to Prevail between George and the Clippers but the Sixers will be lurking if they don’t since the Sixers could sign George outright they still have all five of their tradable draft picks to make future changes with the roster that’s a huge argument in favor of George over Brandon Ingram Lori marinan or Jimmy Butler so he hits the na on the head at the end here when think about actually rounding out the best roster for this Sixers team it includes Paul George that you can feel how you feel about him as a player but you can cover up his weaknesses with other additions think about this for a second what did they sign Paul George outright you trade that 16th overall pick for Alex Caruso and then you flip four first rounders for either uh Lori Markin in or a guy like Mel Bridges these are all kind of you know long shot opportunities but those type of options are possible and having those salary cap or having those draft picks to flip in the long term that’s an appealing asset for the Sixers team to take a peak exactly what their draft capital is they do have the 16th and 41st overall pick this year they also have a first rounder next year of either OKC Houston or the Clippers as well as their own first round pick this this being in 2026 I’m sorry 2127 they got two second rounders a first and 2028 two first in 2028 their own in the Clippers they also have the Clippers 2029 first round pick as well as their own as well as a second and then a first in 2030 so one of the rules to keep in mind here is the stipan rule which means you cannot trade first round picks in consecutive years now the loophole around that is it is legal on draft day so for example the Sixers did not make a first round pick last year so they cannot outright trade the 16th pick right now however on draft night when they’re getting ready to be on the clock they can ship it off and an example that the Sixers have been successful in this is when they traded the 22nd or 23rd overall pick for DeAnthony Mountain along with Danny Green in that particular deal but that was a great trade for the Sixers that was a way to circumnavigate this type of role that the NBA puts in place and that is something that I could see coming into play now I did want to address just the Paul George conversation a little bit Paul George is a very good player he’s not perfect but no player is and to dive into what he brings on the floor I want to start with this year’s stats specifically average 22.6 points per game 5.2 rebounds 3.5 assists 1.5 steals per game 2.1 turnovers which is not awful there he shot 47 . 1% from the field 41.3% from three which is really impressive uh efficiency there on really high volume as well he also shoots 47 or 45.7% on Corner threes 73.3% of his threes are assisted and 47.6% of his shots are three-pointers there and to take a bit at the long-term view of Paul George I do want to contrast his regular season production with his playoff performances I know we’ve seen the playoff P accusations and some of the jokes and comments it was a bit more of a mixb results than I honestly expected going in so we’ll start by looking at his regular season stats and a bit of the Long View here that you can see he’s had quite the career to this point played for three different teams with the Indiana Pacers the Los Angeles Clippers and the OKC Thunder with the Indiana Pacers he was absolutely incredible but that was at that point in time he was the best player on the Pacers he was a guy in that conversation going head-to-head with LeBron James we’re talking about this guy was the real deal that we’re talking about numbers like 23.7 points per game 6.6 rebounds 3.3 assists the efficiency was always there from three he shot over 40% even back in the 20145 season kind of saw his career in limbo during those seasons in Oklahoma City and then obviously found his way out in Los Angeles where he seems quite comfortable and most recently you can still see the production now to compare that with the playoff stats that’s where we get into an interesting point as they were the highest of highs and lowest of lows for Paul George in the playoffs now to dive into these stats specifically here looking at last year’s playoffs not incredibly appealing 19.5 points per game during those six games that he did play shot 36.7% on 8.23 just 41.1% from the floor which is not very good efficiency there it means from in two-point range just 45.7% you want it higher than that probably the most impressive performance outside of Indiana which once again he was excellent you want to flash back to like that 2016 17 year where he’s averaging 28 points per game leading the NBA in minutes at 43 per game there also adding 8.8 rebounds 7.3 assist he was the complete player and doing this by the way while locking up LeBron James on the other side of the floor there now he has progressed and evolved since this point in time and also has seen Things fall out his most recent success story came in the 2020 2021 playoffs in which he also was very good played in 19 games at 40.8 minutes per game 26.9 points 8. or 9.6 rebounds 5.4 assists one steal a game shot the ball fairly well a little bit Le less efficient from three which is kind of surprising there but still found ways to be productive the bottom line is every player is going to have their highs and lows I think they’re a little more notable with Paul George than what you would like but what my appeal is from a basketball perspective outside of obviously you don’t have to trade for him and all these other things what he’s great at is he can be a high volume catch and shoot three-point shooter for the Sixers team that allows Tyrese Maxi and Joel embiid to just work their two-man game and on top of that there will be situations where you need more from him and he can deliver on that but he can keep put the ball on the floor he can create for others on those night night where Joel emid is not able to suit up where he has a nagging injury Paul George can step closer to center stage and pair with Tyrese Maxi and this still looks like a competent basketball team that kind of direction is why it’s appealing to me again it does not start and end with Paul George that there’s certainly more roster moves that need to occur but I do believe he can be a key piece on a championship puzzle and him as the third star around Tyrese Maxi and Joel embiid maybe exactly what he needs from his career from a stylistic standpoint from a personality standpoint from him not seemingly wanting to be the guy anymore you don’t have to be here in Philadelphia and you can embrace the complimentary skills like a catch and shoot three-point shooter like a pretty good Defender make those the Forefront of your game and we do have a successful story here ultimately this starts an end with whether Paul George is actually willing to walk away from Los Angeles that all this talk in my gut I still feel that he wants to stay and it’s one thing to think like I can get this massive offer from the 6 years and walk away it’s another thing to think actually I have to move all the way across the country live in Philadelphia I’m a Los Angeles kid do I actually want to do that now 60 million is quite a bit of money and if that is something that sways him then it should so if the Sixers can get him to sign I’m absolutely into it I do hope that is the case let me know what you guys think in the comments make sure to drop them below like like drop a like on this video And subscribe to keep the Sixers digest family growing and I’ll talk to you next time right here on Sixers digest peace

MASSIVE Paul George Free Agent Update…

The Sixers offseason game plan has yet to be revealed and is largely dependent on some major factors out of their control. The organization received some good news as Paul George and the Clippers still are not on the same page in contract negotiations. Sean Barnard breaks down what this means for the Sixers and explains why Paul George should be the number one option due to the flexibility that remains by signing him as a free agent.

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