Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid is excited about his fit alongside new free-agent acquisition Paul George.

"Yeah, I think as far as the fit, it looks amazing," Embiid said in an interview on SportsCenter (h/t ESPN's Tim Bontemps). "It is great, especially when you got a big ... I don't like to call myself a big, but when you got a player that posts up and that isos quite a bit, you need to have willing shooters and guys that are not afraid to pull the trigger."

After spending the past five years with the Los Angeles Clippers, George declined a $48.8 million player option to return to the team for the 2024-25 season. Then, the nine-time All-Star joined the 76ers on a four-year maximum contract worth $212 million.

George should help Philadelphia contend for the Eastern Conference crown next season after the team suffered a first-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks in 2024. Embiid admitted that the team's lack of playoff success throughout his tenure with the organization has weighed on him.

"I'd be lying to say that patience wasn't tested," Embiid said, via Bontemps. "Because I'm at the point where there's no awards, there's no regular season or no All-NBA or All-Stars is going to change the way my legacy is. Well, there's a few things that can change it, but the main one is the championship."

"So when you start thinking about what you want to be remembered at, you want to be remembered as someone that's won," he added.

Embiid, George, and Tyrese Maxey should form one of the NBA's most imposing trios next season. Maxey is coming off a breakout year, averaging a career-high 25.9 points per game on 45.0/37.3/86.8 shooting splits and earning Most Improved Player honors.

He was rewarded with his own five-year, $204 million contract extension from the team on July 1.

If the three stars are able to remain relatively healthy next season, they'll look to help Philadelphia improve upon a No. 7 finish in the Eastern Conference standings.

Paul George revealed Sunday that he will wear jersey No. 8 with the Philadelphia 76ers next season.

George showed off his new jersey Sunday on the latest episode of Podcast P with Paul George, presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment.:

🅿️hilly 🅿️ pic.twitter.com/6MmUvuXSAa

— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) July 7, 2024

The 34-year-old veteran divulged that his number choice is in honor of his "idol" Kobe Bryant, who was from Philly and wore No. 8 for the first 10 years of his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"For me it's just, it's good to have those moments of just like when you look at that Jersey– Yeah, this is who I'm putting it on for so I wanted that moment of just being able to hold myself accountable," George said.

George is a 14-year NBA veteran who has played for the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers and wore No. 13 for the majority of his career, although he did wear No. 24 for his first few seasons, which was another one of Bryant's numbers.

Since the Sixers retired No. 13 for Wilt Chamberlain and No. 24 for Bobby Jones, George had to go in a different direction.

After spending the past five seasons with the Clippers, George became a free agent this offseason, and he signed a four-year, $211.58 million contract with the Sixers.

George will now form a "Big Three" with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, making the 76ers one of the Eastern Conference's most talented teams along with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.

Philadelphia has not advanced past the second round of the playoffs in any of the past seven seasons despite making the playoffs every year, but if George, Embiid and Maxey can stay healthy, the 76ers will be legitimate championship contenders in 2024-25.

PG-13 will have to find a new nickname as he joins the Philadelphia 76ers.

Paul George will no longer wear his signature No. 13 jersey, instead rocking No. 8 for the 76ers. The team revealed his new number on social media Saturday.

welcome to Philadelphia, @Yg_Trece! pic.twitter.com/lWPae9FiTc

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 7, 2024

Philadelphia's post appears to have revealed George's new number earlier than he would have liked. In a recent clip from a new episode of Podcast P, which drops Monday, George revealed he would be announcing his new number in the coming days.

After his number was revealed by the team on Saturday, George told listeners to stay tuned for the next episode of his podcast to hear the backstory on why he chose No. 8:

Word is out so we’ll give y’all the full backstory to the number Sunday 🫡

— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) July 7, 2024

It will be an adjustment to see George, who wore No. 24 early in his career before switching to No. 13, wearing a new number along with new threads next season, but the trio if him, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey should be exciting.

George, who spent the last five seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, signed with the 76ers on a four-year, $212 million contract. The 34-year-old was searching for a four-year deal in free agency, and he found one in Philadelphia while also joining a team capable of competing for a championship.

"We are thrilled to welcome Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers. Paul is an elite wing on both ends of the floor who fits perfectly with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey," 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said in a statement on Saturday. "His dedication, hard work, and impressive career to date have him well on his way to the Hall of Fame. We are excited about the impact he will have as we strive to bring another championship to Philadelphia."

George had a somewhat disappointing tenure in Los Angeles as the team reached the conference finals just once, but he's looking to put the past behind him and find his first championship with Philadelphia.

"I'm so excited to join this storied franchise with such a passionate fan base! I can't wait to be a part of such a talented team and get to work to bring a championship to Philadelphia!" George said in a statement.

Last season, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. What's arguably the most impressive stat from last year is the 74 games George played after three consecutive years of struggling with injuries.

He now teams up with a former MVP in Embiid and a rising star in Maxey. Embiid put up 34.7 points and 11 rebounds per game last year while Maxey averaged a career-high 25.9 points and 6.2 assists per game.

Assuming the trio can stay healthy, Philadelphia will be a team to watch for to come out of the East.

The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly agreed to sign Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin on Saturday to a four-year, $32 million deal, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, who added that the team will waive big man Paul Reed in a corresponding move.

That move comes nearly a week after the 76ers and former Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George agreed to terms on a four-year, $212 million contract.

Here's a look at the 76ers' updated starting lineup, roster and salary cap following a flurry of reported signings and departures.

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Projected Starting Lineup

PG: Tyrese Maxey

SG: Kelly Oubre Jr.

SF: Paul George

PF: Caleb Martin

C: Joel Embiid

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76ers Active Roster and 2024-25 Salary (Expiration Year)

Joel Embiid, C: $51.4M (2027)

Paul George, SG: $49.2M (2028)

Tyrese Maxey, PG: $35.1M (2029)

Kelly Oubre Jr., SG: $7.9M (2026)

Andre Drummond, C: $4.9M (2026)

Jared McCain, PG: $4.0M (2028)

Eric Gordon, SG: $2.0M (2025)

Ricky Council IV, SG: $1.9M (2027)

Adem Bona, PF: Contract terms TBD

Source: Spotrac

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Free Agents

Kyle Lowry, PG: UFA

Robert Covington, PF: UFA

Cam Payne, PG: UFA

Kenyon Martin Jr., SF: UFA

Jeff Dowtin, PG: UFA

Terquavion Smith, SG: UFA (Two-way)

Source: Spotrac

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According to Spotrac, the 76ers currently have about $157 million committed toward the cap. However, they still need to fill out their roster and should keep an eye on the first and second tax aprons. Surpassing each of them brings about penalties. The first apron level is $178.132 million, and the second apron level is $188.931 million.

Philadelphia has remade its roster around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey after a disappointing first-round playoff exit last season.

George, a nine-time NBA All-Star and six-time All-NBA Team member, is obviously the biggest addition. The 34-year-old averaged 22.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last season for the Clippers.

Martin takes the place of Tobias Harris in the lineup. He averaged a career-high 10.0 points per game last year. The 28-year-old is perhaps best known for his 2023 Eastern Conference Finals performance when he averaged 19.3 PPG in a seven-game series win over the Boston Celtics.

Andre Drummond is the third addition in his second stint with Philadelphia, replacing Reed as Embiid's primary backup. The 30-year-old averaged 8.4 points and 9.0 rebounds in just 17.1 minutes per game last season.

Needless to say, the Sixers have achieved the goal of making wholesale changes to their rotation as they continue to search for their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2001.

The Philadelphia 76ers' offseason spending spree will force them to part ways with Paul Reed.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers are going to waive Reed since his contract for the 2024-25 season was non-guaranteed.

Wojnarowski reported prior to the news about Reed that Philadelphia was signing Caleb Martin. The Sixers previously agreed to a four-year, $212 million deal with Paul George on Monday.

In addition to George's contract, Tyrese Maxey agreed to his max extension worth an estimated $203.9 million over five years.

The combined deals for George, Maxey and Joel Embiid will account for $135.8 million next season.

President of basketball operations Daryl Morey has been doing a good job of surrounding his star trio with quality players on low-cost deals. None of the other deals that have been agreed to thus far are worth more than $8 million in 2024-25.

The 76ers were $10.3 million under the first apron and $21.1 million under the second apron prior to the Martin deal. Waiving Reed will save the team $7.7 million next season.

Reed signed a three-year, $23 million offer sheet with the Utah Jazz as a restricted free agent in July 2023. The Sixers matched the deal, which would have kept him under contract through 2025-26, to retain him.

The 25-year-old Reed was the 58th pick of the 2020 draft by Philadelphia. He gradually developed into a quality backup big behind Embiid over the past four seasons.

Reed set career-highs last season in games played (82), starts (24), points (7.3), rebounds (6.0) and blocks (1.0).

Waiver claims aren't common in the NBA—there were only three last season, none after Dec. 17. It wouldn't be a surprise if a team put in a claim during the 48-hour waiver period rather than let him becomes a free agent.

Given his age and performance in a limited role, Reed should have no problem finding a new team if he hits the open market.

The Philadelphia 76ers agreed to a contract with veteran wing Caleb Martin in free agency on Saturday.

Caleb Martin ➡️ Philly.

welcome to the squad, @Calebmartin14! pic.twitter.com/90fXjqlFhY

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 6, 2024

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported Martin had agreed to a guaranteed four-year contract worth over $32 million. HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported Martin has a player option in the fourth year of the deal.

Martin, 28, had spent the past three seasons with the Miami Heat after playing his first two NBA campaigns with the Charlotte Hornets.

The Sixers have been busy adding to their roster this offseason, as they already signed Paul George, Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon prior to inking Martin.

Martin is coming off the most productive season of his career, as he averaged a career-high 10.0 points, 2.2 assists and 1.3 three-pointers made per game to go along with 4.4 rebounds.

One season earlier, he set career highs in rebounds per game (4.8), steals per game (1.0), minutes per game (29.3), games played (71) and starts (49).

Martin's true coming out party occurred during Miami's run to the 2023 NBA Finals, as he was one of the Heat's most productive players in the playoffs.

In 23 postseason games, Martin performed well above his regular-season career averages, putting up 12.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 three-pointers made and 1.6 steals per game, while shooting a sparkling 52.9 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from three-point range.

The Heat were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season, but Martin was excellent once again, averaging 11.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 three-pointers made and 1.4 assists per contest. He also shot 46.7 percent from the floor and 44.0 percent from deep.

Philadelphia is a team that has reached the playoffs in seven straight seasons, but has never gotten past the second round during that time.

The 76ers have the talent to go on a deep run and potentially win it all with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey leading the way, plus they added a third star this offseason in George, who they signed to a four-year, $211.6 million contract.

With their core in place, the Sixers are now filling out the rest of the roster with experienced veterans such as Martin, Drummond and Gordon.

While Martin is never going to be anything more than the fourth scoring option at best when Embiid, Maxey and George are healthy, he has shown he is capable of taking his game to the next level on the playoff stage.

It can be argued that the Sixers are still lagging behind the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference in terms of the overall talent level of their roster, but signing Martin is a move that should help close the gap.

The Philadelphia 76ers made the biggest move of the summer, signing superstar wing Paul George to a massive four-year, $211.5 million contract. That has created a big three of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and George and has the city of Philadelphia buzzing.

Maxey is definitely excited.

"He's a guy that you can pick up and plug into any system because of his talent," he said of George on Wednesday. "He's 6'9", he can shoot the ball, rebound the ball, pass the ball well. Play on the ball, play off the ball, play off hand-offs, play in transition. The sky is the limit."

"The sky is the limit"

🎙Tyrese Maxey talks Paul George on the Takeoff Podcast out next week pic.twitter.com/jZK34tp3of

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) July 3, 2024

The Sixers have paired other stars alongside Embiid in the past, to varying degrees of success, but George is the best fit yet.

Unlike James Harden, he's an excellent defender and doesn't need the offensive system catered around him to have success. Unlike Jimmy Butler, he's effective off the ball and is a willing—and potent—three-point shooter. Unlike Ben Simmons, he isn't afraid to shoot the ball and impacts the game as a scorer.

But George has also shown a willingness to play off another star and is capable of fitting within multiple systems. The Sixers now have a dominant two-way center in Embiid, an ascendant lead guard in Maxey and a true two-way wing in George.

On paper, the trio appears to be a seamless fit.

Time will tell if that proves to be true. Rounding out the roster around them remains a priority. And the Sixers will be tested in a loaded Eastern Conference, as the Boston Celtics are the defending champions, the New York Knicks improved this offseason and the Milwaukee Bucks still have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

If Philly is finally going to get past the second round in the Embiid era, this is the group to do it. Expectations are understandably high. Health permitting—and that's a big question mark for players like Embiid and George—these Sixers look dangerous.

The Philadelphia 76ers aren't done retooling their roster just yet.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported the Sixers have "exploratory interest" in Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who is expected to garner significant trade interest this offseason.

Finney-Smith is due $14.9 million next season and carries a $15.4 million player option for the 2025-26 campaign. Given the rising cost of three-and-D players on the open market, Finney-Smith figures to opt out next summer in hopes of landing one final big payday.

The Sixers have a ton of proverbial balls in the air regarding their roster construction. They've agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract with Paul George, a five-year, $204 million deal with Tyrese Maxey and inked two-year pacts with Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre. Veteran guard Eric Gordon also signed a one-year contract for the veteran's minimum.

The Sixers will have to time their signings in a specific order for the deals to work under the salary cap. Maxey will be the last in line to officially sign his contract because his artificially low cap hold makes the other deals possible. The Sixers will be able to use their Bird rights to blow past the luxury-tax line with Maxey once they've spent the rest of their cap space.

Sixers president Daryl Morey will want to have most of his core in place before the start of the 2024-25 league year on July 6. His most movable trade piece is forward-center Paul Reed, whose $7.7 million salary is non-guaranteed. Reed will likely be waived in the event Morey does not find a taker for his contract.

Finney-Smith averaged 8.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game last season.

Before the Philadelphia 76ers landed Paul George in free agency, they found themselves waiting to make sure they would even have a chance to sign the nine-time All-Star.

Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the Sixers "heard rumors" for weeks that the New York Knicks or Golden State Warriors were a threat to potentially acquire George in a trade.

Neither the Knicks nor Warriors were initially regarded as landing spots for George, but that was when it was assumed he would opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.

When the possibility of George opting in to his deal to facilitate a trade became a possibility, his list of potential landing spots increased. NBA insider Marc Stein reported on June 23 that the Knicks were considering a trade for the veteran forward.

The Knicks were taken out of the equation on June 25 when they agreed to a deal with the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges. If that didn't definitively take them out of the market for George, they were the next day when OG Anunoby agreed to a five-year, $212.5 million deal to stay in New York.

Golden State reportedly made a strong push to add George before his June 29 deadline to opt in.

Per The Athletic's Tim Kawakami, the Warriors proposed "proposed several variations of a trade" they thought the Clippers would accept and "believed—several times—that they were on the verge" of making it happen.

Kawakami also noted Golden State was willing to give George a four-year max extension if the trade had been worked out. The trade offers were built around some combination of Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Chris Paul and a future first-round draft pick.

When the Clippers never agreed to any version of the Warriors' offer, George decided to opt out and become a free agent. He wasted little time in agreeing to a four-year, $212 million deal with the 76ers, per Wojnarowski.

This seemed like the dream scenario for months in Philadelphia. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey set the team up to have cap space to sign an All-Star-caliber player after trading James Harden to the Clippers in November.

Morey's gambit paid off in a huge way, with George joining a roster that already had Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. Maxey also got his max extension by agreeing to a five-year deal worth $204 million on Monday, per Wojnarowski.

It remains to be seen if this will be the trio that can get the 76ers to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001, but this is the most optimistic the franchise has felt going into a season in years.

The Philadelphia 76ers landed one of the best free agents on the market, as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported early on Monday morning that they agreed to a four-year, $212 million max deal with former Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George.

The move was seen as a major addition for the Sixers, as pairing George with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey creates one of the most formidable trios in the NBA.

"You get a guy in there that's a position of need on the wing, a guy who can close out games, who opens the floor for Joel in that elbow area and for Tyrese on drives," an Eastern Conference scout told The Athletic's Sam Amick of the signing. "But the one thing I saw with Tyrese when Embiid was out was that he's not good enough to carry a team. So if Embiid's not playing or injured or anything like that, you have another guy who can hold the fort down with Tyrese."

BREAKING: Paul George has agreed on a four-year, $212M deal with the Sixers, per @wojespn

PG, Embiid & Maxey teaming up in Philly 🔥 pic.twitter.com/53TFK8efcM

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 1, 2024

However, the deal was not free from criticism, as the scout added that there are concerns over George's age at this stage in his career.

"But man, that's a lot of money to give a guy that's going to be 38 (when the deal ends)," the scout said. "I don't know. That's the tough thing."

George enjoyed a fairly healthy season this past year, as his 74 appearances were his most since the 2018-19 campaign. He appeared in under 60 games in each of the previous four seasons, which likely played into the Clippers' hesitance to commit to him with a max contract.

If George is able to stay healthy, the Sixers will be among the top contenders in the Eastern Conference next season and beyond.