The Philadelphia 76ers were able to land the big fish in Paul George in free agency. The Sixers had waited a whole season and protected their precious cap space to be ready for free agency and they nailed the max player they were looking for.
The Sixers agreed to a 4-year $212 million deal with George to have him join Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. If healthy, Philadelphia should be the biggest challenger to the Boston Celtics just due to the talent of those three stars.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported some details about what happened during the meeting with George and the Sixers. There was a weather delay for the flight carrying Josh Harris and Julius Ering to LA:
But the plane carrying Harris and Dr. J was delayed by weather, and a decision had to be made. George’s longtime agent, Aaron Mintz, called him to ask if he wanted to wait.
“Of course,” George told him.
Of course you wait for Dr. J … and the guy who could be paying you only the fourth maximum contract given to a player 34 years and older in league history.
Erving, a leading member of Philadelphia’s last championship team in 1983, had a message for George per Shelburne:
Dr. J told George how much he enjoyed playing in Philly, and how important it was for him when the team traded for Moses Malone, a move that led to a championship in 1983. The franchise has been waiting for another one ever since.
The Sixers have their man. Now, they have to do everything they can to make this work. They will not win unless all three of those players are healthy and have great chemistry with each other.
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