Philadelphia isn’t a place free agents want to come.
Outside of the Eagles, that saying has often rang true. After the Phillies’ golden era ended, the local nine struggled to field a competitive roster. Then, something amazing happened.
With plenty of options and interest from around Major League Baseball, Bryce Harper, the baseball equivalent of LeBron James who was just entering his prime, chose Philadelphia. While it took a couple years and a slew of other changes, Harper has helped make the Phillies a perennial contender and reinvigorated the city’s love of its local ball club.
No pressure, Paul George.
While nobody will expect George to have a Harper-like impact, the nine-time All-Star choosing to join the Sixers is a franchise-altering moment. And none of it would’ve been possible without Daryl Morey having the guts to deploy a bold plan.
This was all set in motion a year ago when James Harden surprisingly opted into his $47.3 million player option and promptly demanded a trade. You might recall things got a bit ugly, with the former MVP calling Morey — who has a commissioned painting of The Beard in his home — a liar. The saga would persist for months until finally the Sixers and Clippers, the only team Harden wanted to go to, came to an agreement.
In that deal, Morey acquired serious draft capital and four players, all on expiring contracts. While Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris, Sr., KJ Martin and Robert Covington all helped to varying degrees, it was clear that Morey acquired them mostly for the flexibility their pending free agency’s provided. Including P.J. Tucker’s outgoing contract in the trade also proved to be a huge win.
The Sixers rode out the 2023-24 season, banking on Joel Embiid to improve upon his MVP season, Tyrese Maxey to continue his ascension and new head coach Nick Nurse to make his mark. Well, those things did happen early on with the Sixers getting off to a terrific start to the season. Embiid’s meniscus tear put a huge damper on things, but a strong playoff showing against a tough Knicks team provided hope — along with the unfathomable flexibility Morey gave himself this offseason.
Think about the gumption it takes to go into an offseason having just one player on a guaranteed contract. That just doesn’t happen. After the Sixers were eliminated by New York in Game 6, that was the case.
Embiid was the only player on a guaranteed deal for 2024-25. We all knew Maxey was going to get his max extension (he did), but Paul Reed’s contract was no longer guaranteed since the team failed to make the second round (joke’s on you, Danny Ainge). Ricky Council IV (who remains on the roster) and Jeff Dowtin, Jr. (who does not) were also on non-guaranteed contracts.
So, the slate was as clean as it had been since Morey inherited a roster with the ill-fitting Al Horford and Josh Richardson and the volatile Ben Simmons. The Sixers president of basketball operations was ready to build the team he wanted around his two stars in Embiid and Maxey.
But boy, did an awful lot have to go right.
Morey made it clear at his end-of-season presser that he was going star-hunting. Armed with loads of cap space and draft assets, he had the proper ammo, but who would be available? LeBron James? Donovan Mitchell? Jimmy Butler? As free agency crept up, the options seemed to fall off the board — except George.
The Clippers and George could’ve agreed to a four-year max extension at any point. They did not. LA was reportedly hellbent on not giving a fourth year. George was hellbent on getting one. Therein lay the opportunity for Morey to swoop in. After a roller coaster few weeks where it seemed like the Clippers were trying to call his bluff, George knew he had options.
He could’ve opted in, perhaps forcing a trade to the Warriors — though, as we saw in the case of Harden, that process isn’t always so smooth. He could’ve taken the three-year deal to stay home in Palmdale, taking another run at a title with Kawhi Leonard in the Clippers’ brand-new toilet-rich arena. He could’ve joined an up-and-coming Magic team loaded with young talent.
But on Sunday night/Monday morning, he chose Philadelphia. It’s not hyperbolic to say landing George makes this one of the greatest offseasons in franchise history.
Think about it: the last “big name” free agent to choose the Sixers was current GM Elton Brand — on what was then called the “Philly Max” — way back in 2008, the last time the Phillies won the World Series. Funny enough, the Clippers were also the team Brand left to join the Sixers. Before that, you’d have to go back to 1982, when reigning MVP Moses Malone signed an offer sheet with Philly, forcing the Rockets to match and complete a sign-and-trade.
One of those situations worked out slightly better than the other.
But in this moment, Sixers fans should enjoy it. An executive who’d become maligned in the Delaware Valley took a ballsy path and it worked. A nine-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA performer and four-time All-Defensive Team pick decided the Sixers were his best option. Is George perfect? Of course not. Because no player is. But he is damn good.
As has been chronicled, a contingent of managing partner Josh Harris, Morey, Brand and executive vice president of basketball operations Pete Dinwiddie, who has a relationship with George from when the two were with the Pacers, made the trip to visit George’s L.A. home. Joining them was franchise icon Julius Erving, who brought home the organization’s last championship with Malone back in 1983.
It was not Dr. J but another franchise icon who George was paying homage to that night as he planned to tell the team of his intentions. George was wearing an Allen Iverson t-shirt. Iverson of course was the biggest of cogs on the last Sixers team to get to the NBA Finals in 2001.
Wearing a t-shirt with The Answer on it to give the Sixers his answer. That’s some next-level pandering. Bryce Harper would be proud.