LA Clippers fans were recently subjugated to some heartbreaking news, as it was confirmed that star player Paul George has made his exit from the franchise. After entering free agency when the Clippers were unable to retain the player in light of their issues related to the CBA guidelines, George has now signed on to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a 4-year, $212 million contract. Even though the update comes after months of unsuccessful negotiations with the Clippers, it has still left several NBA enthusiasts in a state of shock. Many of them, including the player’s now former teammate Bones Hyland, chose to make their voice heard.

Taking to his official X account, the 23-year-old Clippers point guard highlighted his dismay. Instead of making use of words, however, Hyland used a couple of ‘dizzy-eyed’ emojis to put out his reaction for everyone to see.

Being traded to the LA Clippers at the age of 22, the young player was in the eye of Paul George, who carried the offensive effort for the team alongside James Harden. The veteran was certainly impressed with what he said, commenting that he loves Hyland’s “aggression” and highlighting his belief that the player is great “off the bounce, him getting to his shots, getting to his points on the floor, his playmaking, his creativity.” Losing George would certainly remove a mentor figure for Hyland at such an early stage.

Fans React to Paul George leaving the Clippers for the 76ers

No sooner had ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski broken the news about Paul George joining the 76ers when people descended onto the comments section to share their reaction. One of them was in shock that the agreement was reported just as Eastern Standard Time was reporting the hour to be 3:34 AM. After all, what reason would there be to highlight their dismay in ALL CAPS? However, another fan assured the fan with three words that carry a deep meaning: “Money Don’t Sleep.”

From the 1987 movie ‘Wall Street’ to Gangsta L’s song, the phrase keeps being used since it seldom loses its meaning. After all, this isn’t the first instance when a trade or acquisition deal has occurred this late at night.

Another social media user, who was awake when Adrian Wojnarowski sent out the update, was also not expecting to hear some breaking news at this peculiar hour. This caused him to predict that if so many people are reacting even at this moment, then reactions will start coming out in huge numbers once people start waking up.

The Paul George announcement comes five years after Tobias Harris was also traded in the early hours of the morning, ironically, from the LA Clippers to the Philadelphia 76ers. Once again, it was Adrian Wojnarowski who broke the news, causing a few fans to applaud just how quick the reporter is, and raising a concern whether he ever chooses to sleep or not.

Not everyone cared about how late the hour was. Milwaukee Bucks star Patrick Beverley was quick to respond when he heard the news, requesting Paul George to give his best to his new team.

Overall, people were less in shock about the 9x NBA All-Star heading in another direction and more about the abruptness of the news.

Details on Paul George 76ers contract

Going into the 2024-25 season, the Clippers were facing issues regarding going over the Luxury Tax limit. Despite this, they were reportedly prepared to offer him a 3-year, $152 million extension after he declined his player option. The player declined that deal as well since he was on the lookout for a 4-year contract. Fortunately, he found the same with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Despite it being wee hours since the news about George joining the franchise became official, it didn’t take long to be revealed that the player has signed on with the 76ers for a 4-year, $212 million contract. When looking at a year-by-year breakdown, George is set to earn over $49.2 million during the following season, $51.7 million in the 2025-26 season, $54.1 million at the onset of the 2026-27 season, and conclude it with a final pay of $56.6 million during the 2027-28 season. If no changes are made, then the newest addition to the 76ers will be the 10th highest-paid player in the league next year.

After power forward Tobias Harris decided to pursue free agency, the Clippers ended up possessing a cap space of over $55.5 million. Along with allowing the franchise to extend star player Tyrese Maxey’s contract, it also left them with enough money to add a third player who can form a strong partnership with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Paul George’s name was certainly on top of Embiid’s mind, as highlighted when the latter made some not-so-subtle indications about possibly adding the then-Clippers player to his roster.

Before leaving, check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about the Lakers legend’s infamous feud with the late Kobe Bryant.