Getty Paul George, Lou Williams
Paul George appears to be the Philadelphia 76ers‘ main target in the offseason. The Los Angeles Clippers star holds plenty of appeal, but George’s former teammate and ex-Sixer Lou Williams isn’t optimistic about the Sixers’ chances.
Williams listed multiple reasons for why he believes George will stay with the Clippers.
“Paul George ain’t going nowhere,” Williams said on “Run it Back.” “He’s a southern California kid. His roots are here; his family is here, his parents have an opportunity to watch him every game (and) go to the comfort of their home after those games. His kids are going to school out here. (He’s) planting his podcast’s flag out here. Paul George ain’t going nowhere.”
Williams played for the Sixers from 2006 to 2012, helping them make the playoffs multiple times. Several years later, he played with George on the Clippers from 2019 to 2021.
Technically, George won’t be a free agent unless he opts out of his current deal. If he does, the Sixers have enough cap room to add him outright on a max contract. George would bring them star power and playoff experience to a team desperate to go further in the postseason.
Sixers Have Backup Plan in Case Paul George Stays: Report
While nothing is set in stone, the Sixers have to consider backup options in case George elects to stay with the Clippers. According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Sixers already have one pegged if that happens: OG Anunoby.
“As previously reported, members of the Philadelphia 76ers have seen Anunoby as an offseason target. Paul George is also a target for Philadelphia. But if the Sixers can’t get George, I could see them making a big offer to Anunoby – if for no other reason than it would force New York to match the money,” Begley wrote on May 21.
The Knicks acquired Anunoby mid-season, where he played a factor in how they managed to get the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. Knowing how big of a role he played in their success, it’d be hard to see why they wouldn’t pay as much as they could to keep him. At the same time, the Sixers have the power to pressure the Knicks to pay good money for him.
Anunoby is considered one of the NBA’s better 3&D wings and won a title with the Raptors in 2019.
Paul George Tabbed as Sixers ‘Realistic’ Option Target
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey explained why he sees George as the Sixers’ “realistic” target in a May 22 story.
Bailey explained that using their cap room to add George to a team that has Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey “feels like the most painfully obvious option.”
He then explained why George would work so well with the Sixers.
“It’s not hard to imagine the fit. Among stars, George has perhaps the most moldable game in the league. He can put up big numbers as little more than a catch-and-shoot threat playing off the two-man game of Embiid and Maxey. He can attack scrambled defenses on kickouts. And he has enough playmaking ability to run some possessions when Maxey or Embiid is out.”
The Sixers haven’t had a high-profile shot creator at the wing position since Jimmy Butler. They arguably went as far as they have when they had Butler around. George is not the same player, but it goes to show how the Sixers would thrive with a star archetype like that on the team.