Report: 76ers agree to $212M max contract with Paul George in pursuit of NBA championship

Paul George agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract to join the Philadelphia 76ers ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday morning.

George joins a 76ers team featuring seven-time All-Star and 2023 MVP Joel Embiid and All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey, the NBA’s current Most Improved Player. George’s addition resets the balance of power in the Eastern Conference, where the 76ers look to join the champion Boston Celtics as NBA title contenders.

A 6-8 wing, George remains one of the league’s premier two-way players at age 34. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47.1% from the field and a career-high 41.3% in 3 games at last season with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The transaction is the most significant of the NBA offseason, as teams were allowed to trade players from other teams starting Sunday. George, a nine-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA, opted out of signing the final year of his contract with the Clippers on Saturday.

The Clippers announced Sunday night that negotiations with Paul had failed and that he would not return to the team. Paul spent five seasons in Los Angeles alongside fellow All-Star Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers acquired George in a 2019 trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder in hopes that he and Leonard could win the franchise’s first NBA title.

With both stars plagued by injuries, the Clippers never reached the NBA Finals. His best effort with George and Leonard saw the Clippers advance to the 2021 Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the Phoenix Suns.

This is a developing story that will be updated.