
The Philadelphia 76ers landed All-Star forward Paul George this summer with the hope a big three with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey would push them atop the Eastern Conference. Instead, Philadelphia sits near the bottom of the standings with NBA rumors pointing to several potential trades on the horizon.
The team had previously been linked to a Jimmy Butler trade, but the Miami Heat weren’t interested in taking on George’s contract. With a blockbuster trade believed to be off the table, Philadelphia began exploring smaller trades that could improve its odds of keeping its 2025 first-round pick (top-6 protected).
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- Paul George contract (Spotrac): $49.205 million salary in 2025, $51.666M salary for 2025-’26, $54.126 million salary for 2026-’27, $56.586 million player option in 2027
George’s contract already appears to be a disaster. In just the first year of his four-year, $211.58 million deal, the perennial All-Star forward is shooting just 36.5 percent from the perimeter and 42.9 percent from the field. Set to turn 35 in May, his contract will only get worse in the years to come. However, there might be a path to getting out of the deal.
According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks have both called the 76ers regarding a trade for George.
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NBA rumors this week have made it clear that Golden State is in desperation mode. After being turned down by Jimmy Butler, the club has since pursued a trade for both Kevin Durant and LeBron James. The Warriors also tried to pull off a sign-and-trade for George during the offseason.
The Hawks have a different motivation. Atlanta’s 2025 first-round pick is owned by the San Antonio Spurs without any protections on it. With the team’s recent skid – 2-8 in the last 10 games – the organization seems to fear it could be sacrificing a valuable draft pick. Trading for George would at least give Atlanta a shot at escaping the NBA Draft lottery.
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While the return for the 76ers in any potential trade involving George won’t be particularly strong, it would serve two purposes. Firstly, getting out of the remainder of the money he’s owed over the rest of the contract and it would increase the team’s chances of finishing with a top-six pick.