While most teams have made moves to improve their roster this summer, the Sixers have had arguably the biggest shake-up so far. Adding Paul George to join forces with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, some have already deemed them the most lethal Big 3 in the league for next season. However, it puts added pressure on Embiid to bring a Championship to Philly, and more importantly, puts him under a microscope for his tampering tactics on Live TV that helped the Sixers recruit their desired superstar.

Discussing the Embiid-PG pairing on ESPN’s NBA Today, veteran analyst Ramona Shelburne revealed how this partnership is different than the ones Embiid has had before, because he had a major role to play in making it happen, “Paul George was recruited by Joel Embiid, like this is not a forged marriage. This is not Ben Simmons being drafted there, this is not James Harden being traded there. Joel Embiid and Paul George, they already have a relationship, they already have a friendship because we all saw them on the Countdown center during the finals, right? This is a chosen marriage.”

Obviously, Shelburne was referring to Joel Embiid’s sneaky tactics during the NBA Finals broadcast when he shared the screen with Paul George amid free agency rumors. “Hopefully this off-season, we find a way to get better and you know add some pieces.” Embiid said on Live TV, giving PG the side eye, hinting that he wanted the nine-time All-Star to join forces with him. Sure enough, the former MVP’s actions sparked allegations of him publicly tampering to recruit PG. And now that Paul George has actually signed a four-year $212 million deal with the Sixers, those tampering accusations aren’t going anywhere.

How Paul George’s addition helps Joel Embiid?

Tampering or not, Joel Embiid got his wish. And he couldn’t be more excited about it. Sitting down for an interview with ESPN’s Tim Bontemps ahead of his Olympics campaign, Embiid revealed his thoughts about teaming up with Paul George, “On paper, looks like a pretty good team… The goal is always to win a Championship, but it just doesn’t happen overnight.” Moreover, the former MVP claimed that he is excited to share the court with two elite shooters like PG and Maxey, who he can kick the ball out to whenever needed. Although Embiid already had a star teammate in Tyrese Maxey who had a breakout season this year, averaging 25.9 points, now he will have more firepower with PG, who shot 41.3% from three this season.

More importantly, Embiid believes that having multiple scoring options on his team will help him stay available for the entire season. “It makes me excited because I think that actually might keep me healthy. I don’t have to exert myself and make sure I have to have 30 40 every single night for us to win.” While Embiid opened last season on fire, the injury bug caused him to miss a major chunk of the season, which eventually led to the Sixers being eliminated in the first round. Hopefully, PG’s addition will help solve that problem going forward.