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The Philadelphia 76ers are believed to be the “frontrunner” to land veteran forward Paul George in free agency this offseason, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey.
George, 34, declined his $48.7 million player option with the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday to become an unrestricted free agent.
Pompey also noted that George’s potential arrival in Philadelphia could lead to him bringing in role players to make the 76ers an NBA Finals contending team.
“If he comes to Philly, sources believe George will help recruit solid role players for the Sixers’ pursuit of an NBA championship-caliber roster,” Pompey wrote.
While the 76ers are the early frontrunners to sign George, there are a pair of expected competitors for Philly. His former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, remain in the mix, as do the Orlando Magic.
The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Charania reported Saturday that George plans to meet with the 76ers, Clippers and Magic once free agency opens late Sunday night. Philadelphia might seem like the most appealing option for George in terms of contending for a championship, but Los Angeles or Orlando could offer him a more enticing financial deal.
The Magic are already seemingly preparing to make a push for George, declining Moe Wagner’s $8 million team as well as Joe Ingles’ $11 million team option on Saturday, giving them extra cap space to work with in free agency.
Orlando would be an intriguing fit for George. He would likely get to be the team’s main option as Paolo Banchero continues to develop while still playing for a team capable of competing in the playoffs.
In Philly, he would most likely be the team’s second or even third option behind Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. That could be the situation he’s looking for at this point in his career, though.
Of course, staying with the Clippers would be a comfortable option for George. Los Angeles has faced back-to-back first-round exits in the playoffs, but has a championship-caliber roster when fully healthy. With the right deal, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see George stay put.
Heading into next week’s free agency, George’s decision will be one of the biggest moves to monitor.
