During a post-practice media session two days before Game 1 of the 76ers’ first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, Paul George was asked extensively about defending the wing tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
“Those two guys have won,” George said. “They’re mature. They’re experienced. … If we’ve got a shot to beat them, we’ve got to make it as tough as possible.”
The veteran wing was instrumental on both ends of the floor in that stunning Sixers upset. Brown said as much on a Thursday night Twitch livestream, calling George’s performance “vintage” during that series. And more division-rival matchups between George and Brown are on the horizon — but in opposite jerseys.
George’s two-year stopover in Philly is over, after the Sixers on Wednesday agreed to trade him and four draft picks to Boston in a blockbuster exchange for the All-NBA wing Brown. George, once a perennial All-Star but now past his prime, will be remembered as the flashy free-agent signing in 2024 whose tenure here was regularly interrupted by injuries and suspension.
Much hoopla surrounded George’s arrival, including stories of the Sixers’ brass dodging a storm on their flight to Los Angeles to woo him into agreeing to a four-year max contract after 2 a.m. Eastern time the first night of free agency. The Sixers deliberately cleared cap space — including asking ascending star point guard Tyrese Maxey to wait a year to sign his own max deal — in order to offer such a contract once Tobias Harris’ deal came off the books.
George revealed he had formed a “secret friendship” with fellow introvert Joel Embiid at league events such as All-Star weekend, adding context to Embiid’s nationally televised side-eye to George while on set together at the NBA Finals. Coach Nick Nurse expressed excitement in the clean “1-3-5” fit with Maxey at guard, George on the wing, and 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player Embiid at center.
Yet it was foreshadowing when George, who turned 36 in May, hyperextended his knee in a preseason game at the Atlanta Hawks in 2024. He went on to play 78 total games across two seasons with the Sixers, and only 36 with both Embiid and Maxey that yielded an 18-18 record.
At various points during that frustrating first season in Philly, George received painkiller injections in his pinkie finger, adductor, and knee to try and play. He visibly did not have the same burst to get past defenders which had previously helped make him one of the smoothest and versatile scorers of this generation. He sustained another knee injury during an offseason workout last July, prompting arthroscopic surgery and another delayed start to his 2025-26 season.
Then in January, George was abruptly suspended by the NBA for 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.
Interestingly, those weeks away may have helped George’s body heal and propelled him to a strong finish. He averaged 21 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.2 steals in the Sixers’ final 10 regular-season games, and shot a blistering 41.5% on 8.2 three-point attempts per game.
In that first-round series against the Celtics, George drew praise from Nurse and teammates for his stout play while the three-star Embiid-Maxey-George vision suddenly came to life. George added that he was finally “able to do things [on the court] that I was once able to do, again.” But during the New York Knicks’ second-round sweep of the Sixers, George started multiple games strong before his production fell off in the second half.
George, though, expressed optimism during his end-of-season news conference that he could have a “real summer of improving” his game instead of rehabbing an injury. The Sixers made a significant front-office change in replacing Daryl Morey with new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, but it appeared they would be forced to run it back with their core because of the hefty salary committed across multiple seasons.
Perhaps Wednesday’s shocking trade is evidence that no contract is immovable.
News surfaced publicly that the Celtics had offered Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a trade package for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo before last week’s NBA draft. From the outside, it appears that, in the aftermath, the relationship between team and player became irreparable. And though the Sixers swapped one gigantic contract for another in the deal, Brown is more durable, in his prime, and coming off a season when he finished sixth in MVP voting.
George also is an example of the modern NBA’s more transient stars. This will be his fifth team — also including the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Los Angeles Clippers — in a fantastic 17-year career. Before this stunning blockbuster, George had already been traded for future two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander along with former All-Stars Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
George also might become the last mega free agent for the foreseeable future — other than LeBron James’ wildly unique situation this summer — who simply joins a new team on a max contract.
There has been a barrage of star-player moves already this offseason, including the Toronto Raptors reacquiring Kawhi Leonard, LaMelo Ball going from the Charlotte Hornets to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Ja Morant moving from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Portland Trail Blazers. All of those have occurred via trade. That can be attributed to the new collective bargaining agreement and “apron penalties,” along with an overarching player philosophy to get lucrative contracts when offered as extensions by their current team and, if necessary, force their way to a new playing destination later.
When asked during his end-of-season news conference about how he felt about his time in Philly — a sports market known for harsh outside criticism for players who are perceived to not be living up to their contracts — George said, “My experience with the fans has been amazing, it’s definitely love here.” He posted a thank-you note to the Sixers and fans on his Instagram Thursday night.
Now, George’s choppy two-year stint in Philly is over.
