The biggest domino of free agency has fallen on day one. For the entire season, there have been rumblings about Paul George and the Clippers being unable to come to terms on an extension. Los Angeles was thought to have had the upper hand the entire time. They had the city PG always wanted to play in, a new stadium to debut next season, Kawhi Leonard signed to a midseason extension, and the richest owner in the NBA who hasn't shied away from paying roster taxes. However, the key indicator here for PG was that it even got this far.
The Clippers truly played hardball in not offering a max contract, George exercised his player option and opted out of the last year of his contract, and started taking free agency meetings. It was always going to be Philadelphia as the main suitor on the other side.
BREAKING: Free agent F Paul George has agreed on a four-year, $212 million maximum contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell ESPN. George committed in a meeting with Sixers officials and returns East to join Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in pursuit of an NBA title. pic.twitter.com/pkCfGu3hyp
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2024
For Philly, this is a dream get. They use their max cap space on a bonafide max worthy talent. Their monstrous amount of cap space now goes into acquiring Paul George (with no directly outgoing assets), and resigning Tyrese Maxey. Joel Embiid has had a rotating door of talented players, but none were ideal fits. This is. Maxey is a speed demon with limitless scoring ability in transition. Embiid is perhaps the most dominant half court offensive player in the league. And Paul George is a one size fits all compliment; he can run in transition with Maxey, he can space and shoot with Embiid, he can create for himself and others, and he can play defense on some of the premier wings in the Eastern Conference.
All of Daryl Morey's chess moves to reach this point, and Embiid's side eyes, are now deemed worth it. The questions that remain for Philadelphia is which of their strong cast of role players can they bring back? I would love to see Batum and De'Anthony Melton round out this starting five.
The offseason of all offseasons continues…
– Tyrese Maxey max extension
– Paul George max FA contract
– Kelly Oubre team friendly 2 year deal
– Eric Gordon minimum
– Andre Drummond 2 year, $10 mill
– Drafted Jared McCainDaryl Morey is on a heater like we’ve never seen before
— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) July 1, 2024
In terms of a betting impact, this a good window to attack the Pacific Division winner odds posted on DraftKings. The Pacific Division was won by the Clippers last year, who likely take a big step back after losing Paul George. The division also features another team to sell in the Warriors – who lost Chris Paul, may lose Klay Thompson, and struck out on Paul George. So I'm left considering the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings. Pick your favorite!
Kings may acquire Brandon Ingram, and resigned Malik Monk, could they be a sneaky dangerous regular season team? The Suns will likely be healthier this season and have stud regular season coach Mike Budenholzer joining the staff. The Lakers are going to resign LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and are looking for a third piece themselves.I personally chose the Suns, but I like the idea of picking off one here as this division may see a big shake up.
