Regardless of what happens moving forward this season, the Philadelphia 76ers are going to find themselves in the market for a big-name player once the NBA offseason gets going.
Philadelphia heads into Wednesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns with a mere 38-30 record and as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
This is not where front office head Daryl Morey expected Philadelphia to be heading into the second half of March.
Primarily, the knee injury reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid suffered back in late January has played a role in the team’s struggles. Since he went down with a meniscus injury, Philadelphia finds itself at a mere 9-14. All said, the 76ers are 12-23 when Embiid doesn’t play this season and 26-7 when he’s in the starting lineup.
Don’t think for a second that this is lost on Morey. He’s always out there looking for big-name players. That won’t change during the summer.
Related: Philadelphia 76ers standing in Sportsnaut’s NBA power rankings
Philadelphia 76ers to target Paul George in NBA free agency
NBA insider Marc Stein reported recently that the 76ers are keeping tabs on the Los Angeles Clippers star should George opt out of his contract and become a free agent this offseason.
“League sources say that Philadelphia continues to loom as an eager George suitor should he make it onto the open market and give the 76ers their formal opportunity to try to lure him across the country,” Stein wrote. “The Sixers are said to maintain interest in George despite the widely held presumption that he and Leonard want to keep playing together in their native Southern California.”
Report on Philadelphia 76ers’ interest in Paul George
George, 33, does have a $48.79 million player option for the 2024-25 season. It stands to reason that he’ll opt out and look for one more long-term deal before calling it a career.
Whether that means the nine-time All-Star will seriously consider leaving his native Los Angeles in free agency remains very much to be seen. It seems to be highly unlikely.
George is averaging 22.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 40% shooting from distance this season. He continues to play at an extremely high level.