76ers make bonkers history after Paul George's $212 million deal
07/01/2024 09:52 PM
The Philadelphia 76ers are spending money on their star players as though they are funding a space program. With Paul George agreeing to a monster contract with the Sixers and Philly showing Tyrese Maxey the money this offseason, Philadelphia has just made an incredibly expensive piece of history. For the first time ever in the NBA, at least three players on the same team each have a contract of $200 million or more.
The 76ers shocked the rest of the basketball world when they got the nod of George on a dizzying four-year deal worth $212 million on Monday. Philly did not stop there, as the Sixers later agreed with Maxey for a huge five-year extension contract priced at $204 million. Those deals with George and Maxey are on top of the four-year, $213.8 million extension contract that Joel Embiid signed with Philadelphia back in 2021.
For the first time in NBA history, three players on the same team — the Sixers — are on $200+ million contracts
Joel Embiid – $213M
Paul George – $212M
Tyrese Maxey – $204M pic.twitter.com/XrZCKngAQ9— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 2, 2024
The 76ers break the bank for a scary Big Three
The 76ers are tired of merely just making the playoffs and early postseason exits. With George in town, Philadelphia hopes that he becomes the spark that the team needs to finally exorcise their playoff demons and get over that second-round hump, at the very least. Philly has been to the postseason in each of the last seven seasons, but not once during that stretch that the 76ers managed to play beyond the conference semifinal round. In their most recent trip to the playoffs, Embiid and company lost in the first round of the 2024 edition of the NBA postseason at the hands of Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks. That was a step back for Philly, which, in the previous three seasons, had reached the second round.
Philadelphia must have also felt the need to go all in on an elite two-way weapon like George this offseason following the NBA championship run by Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics. As the reigning NBA champions, the Celtics have everyone putting targets on their back. For the 76ers, they have definitely sent a strong message to Boston by securing the nod of George, a nine-time NBA All-Star and a six-time All-NBA selection.
While Embiid remains a force on the floor and Maxey is a rising star who’s still evolving into a much more special player, they might not be enough for the Sixers to overcome a talented, deep, and proud Celtics squad.
Together with Maxey and Embiid, George forms a considerable triumvirate in the City of Brotherly Love who could be the Rocky to the Celtics’ Apollo Creed. George should be able to thrive right away in Philly.
Embiid still projects to be the focal point of the 76ers on offense, and his job should get a lot lighter on that end of the floor going forward, as George can attract so much attention from opposing defenses. But George also brings value to Philadelphia’s defense which ranked 11th overall in the league during the 2023-24 NBA regular season with an adjusted defensive rating of 113.6, per Dunks and Threes. He can be assigned to guard the other team’s best perimeter weapon on any given night. He is a two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team and a two-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
Last season with the Los Angeles Clippers, George, who declined his player option with the Clips for the 2024-25 campaign, generated averages of 22.6 points, 5.2 boards, and 3.5 dimes through 74 games.
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