The 2024 NBA offseason looms as a road map for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Well, sort of.
This isn’t a batch of winding roads leading to a number of different destinations. Sure, there are various twists and turns this team could take, but the path from summer spending to championship contention is straightforward and direct.
And the 76ers, who can open up more than $60 million in cap space, seemingly know that. It’s why they’ve reportedly made Los Angeles Clippers star swingman Paul George their “plan A in free agency,” per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor.
George, to be clear, is far from their only option. The Sixers have enough financial flexibility to court anyone on the market, and their stack of trade chips stretches high enough to broker a blockbuster if they want to go that route.
There are absolutely other names on the wish list, regardless which option this front office explores. LeBron James could get Philly’s full attention in free agency. OG Anunoby and DeMar DeRozan might wind up on that radar, too. The trade market could include a number of intriguing names, like Donovan Mitchell, Brandon Ingram, Dejounte Murray and Trae Young.
Any one of those players is capable of filling out a Big Three alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Yet, none of them feels like a better fit than George.
James is obviously interesting-as-heck in theory, but “there’s been no indication from league personnel with knowledge of the situation that James will truly entertain fleeing Los Angeles,” per Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer. Anunoby, whom the New York Knicks will presumably push hard to keep, is a dynamic three-and-D wing—but he’s not a star. DeRozan doesn’t have the outside shot or the off-the-ball value you’d want from someone flanking the Embiid-Maxey tandem.
Moving to trade targets, Mitchell might be staying put with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but even if he doesn’t, there would be considerable overlap between him and Maxey. Ingram isn’t as available as a team led by Embiid needs its third star to be. If the Sixers really wanted Murray, couldn’t they have had him at the trade deadline? Young feels way too ball-dominant and deficient on defense to operate in a tertiary role.
Those options are good, but they aren’t great. (Or, in James’ case, probably not realistic.) George, on the other hand, has hand-in-glove potential in Philly, and he seems legitimately gettable.
The Clippers, per Fischer, “remain hopeful” about keeping George, but they’ve also left the impression they “aren’t keen on committing to guaranteed money beyond the three-year window of [Kawhi] Leonard’s deal that runs through 2026-27.” That perhaps leaves the door ajar for the Sixers to slide in and swipe George.
If he has a max offer in Philly and less than that in L.A., his free-agency decision could be pretty simple.
And he’d be damn near perfect for what the Sixers need. He can have a superstar-level impact any given night, but he is just as comfortable crushing a support role. Given that Philly doesn’t always know whether Embiid will be available, it needs a third star who can do some dirty work when is and handle under-the-spotlight duties when he isn’t.
That’s George in a nutshell. He is a master at picking his spots and understanding exactly what his team needs from him. He is a supporting actor who can spend entire scenes looking like the lead. But if he’s only needed in the shadows, he can operate there, too.
The Sixers are in a unique spot this offseason. It isn’t often that a team with this kind of star power also boasts this level of roster-upgrading flexibility. If they nail their summer adjustments, they’ll be right in the thick of next season’s championship race.
For all of their avenues to potential additions, though, one pretty clearly looms above the rest. It’s maybe hyperbolic to suggest this is a Paul-George-Or-Bust summer in Philly, but the Sixers won’t find a bigger boost to their championship hopes than him.