NBA Rumors: 76ers emerge as frontrunners for Paul George following 9x All-Star declining his $48.7M option on Clippers

After declining his player option for the 2024-25 season, some teams will get the chance to poach Paul George from the LA Clippers. George could return to the Eastern Conference as one of the teams who are interested in securing the services of the nine-time NBA All-Star is the Philadelphia 76ers.

According to NBA Insider Chris Haynes, the Sixers are going to pursue George aggressively as they hope to add a third star next to Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

The Sixers are entering this free agency period with a lot of cap space as Tobias Harris' five-year contract worth $180 million expires.

Paul George, who averaged 22.6 points (47.1 FG% & 41.3 3pt %), 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 74 games in 2023-24, would be a solid addition to a team that finished 47-35 this season.

The Sixers snuck into the Playoffs through the Play-in tournament but were eliminated in six games in the first round by the New York Knicks.

Interestingly, the Sixers could have finished the season much higher in the standings but an injury to Joel Embiid caused him to miss the entirety of February and March (29 straight games).

There is some risk to pairing George and Embiid as both have been prone to injury in the past few seasons. In fact, George's 74 games played in 2023-24 is the first time he's played in over 70 games since the 2018-19 campaign.

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The Golden State Warriors might have lost their shot at acquiring Paul George

With Paul George declining his player option with the LA Clippers, he has made it difficult for the Golden State Warriors to acquire him.

Before the news that George declined his $48.7 million player option, there were reports that the Warriors were willing to give him a four-year max contract according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

However, due to the Warriors' current financial situation, the easiest way for them to acquire the nine-time All-Star was through a trade with the Clippers. Now that he's opted to become an unrestricted free agent, a trade is no longer possible.

This does not mean that the Sixers are George's only option this free agency as there are a number of teams who have cap space this summer. Among those teams is the Orlando Magic, who could benefit from adding a veteran star as they hope to elevate their youngsters while also becoming serious Playoff contenders.

Other teams such as the San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz or the Detroit Pistons have the cap space to accommodate Paul George but it is highly unlikely that he signs with a team that is still in a rebuilding phase. As such, the Philadelphia 76ers are likely the frontrunners to sign him with the Magic trailing behind.