Paul George was arguably the biggest offseason fish in the market. With his future uncertain, several teams came crawling to put offers on his table. The 34-year-old had been a Clipper for five seasons. From afar, it seemed he would want to continue his partnership with Kawhi Leonard and contribute to the future of the franchise. However, the turn of events landed him in Philly, teaming up with Joel Embiid and a young Tyrese Maxey.

The move instantly shifted the power balance in the East. The Boston Celtics now have a bona fide threat in the form of the Philadelphia 76ers. On his recent podcast episode, George dove into the details of the process that landed him in Philly and the elaborate contract discussions that took place with the Clippers. At the end of the day, he coined it to be a ‘business decision’.

“That’s why I had to stop negotiations during the season because it was personal like that’s how y’all view me. You know which is fine. In all of this that’s why there is no love lost or hard feelings like if that’s how y’all view me, fine. That’s cool. Now I got to go somewhere else there is nothing wrong with that. It’s business yeah. I got to do what’s best for me and my family. That’s how y’all view me and that’s where my value is then no hard feelings. I’m going to go where I’m appreciated at,” PG13 opened up on his decision to join the Sixers on Podcast P. 

George wasn’t asking for exorbitant money. He was seeking the same deal as his co-star Kawhi Leonard, in the range of three years to $150 million. The Clippers’ initial offer was a two-year $60 million deal. It left George in pieces. “I was torn a little bit” he admitted when speaking of the offer laid out to him. Ultimately, the Clippers weren’t willing to meet his criteria nor was Paul George willing to compromise. But Steve Ballmer being the business savant he is, tried to use one last pitch to convince the expert forward to stay with the Clippers. A $2 billion project that will possibly redefine the future of the Clippers organization.

“It was a great selling though. I went to the Intuit Dome. They walked me through everything, how it’s going to be. Intuit is damn near done so it’s cool to see it kind of firsthand and everything. The building is crazy,” the new Sixer admitted.

But even then, the state-of-the-art Intuit Dome or ‘The Wall’ wasn’t sufficient to sway George’s mind. He ended up signing a $212 million max with the Sixers, an extension George was eligible for in the first place. It meant the Leonard-George era in LA had come to an end at the very moment the franchise was walking out of the shadow of the Lakers and relocating. As sad as it was, once again, business prevailed.

Joel Embiid can’t wait to play with Paul George

Paul George’s hiking across conferences truly shook the NBA landscape. It reinforced Philadelphia as contenders once again following a 7th seed finish and losing James Harden (ironically to the Clippers) last season. But no one was happier than Joel Embiid, who is only looking to add titles and grow his legacy in the NBA.

“Yeah, I think as far as the fit, it looks amazing. 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. PG, great shooter, 40%, 45 catch and shoot; Tyrese, we know great shooter, off the dribble, catch-and-shoot,” the 2022 MVP said about his new teammate to ESPN.

The Sixers could truly be on their way to becoming one of the most feared teams in the NBA. Even prior to George’s signing they had an MVP Joel Embiid leading the forces who was averaging a monstrous 34.7 points per game. Before his injuries, the Sixers had amassed a 31-8 record with him in the lineup. It ranks better than the Celtics’ winning percentage for the season. While his dismissal did affect their season, it provided a blessing in the form of Tyrese Maxey.

the effervescent scorer had a breakout season averaging 25.9 points and single-handedly carrying the Sixers into playoff contention. Now they also have Paul George, a savvy scorer with incredible defensive instincts. Being 34 hasn’t affected his impact, as he averaged just over 22 points in this past season with the Clippers. Most importantly, he played 74 games.

It seems to be the lineup of death if it works out. But even Embiid isn’t confident until tested. “When you are presented with a plan, sometimes it goes wrong, sometimes it goes right. We’ve still got long way to go. On paper it looks great. But we still got to go on the court and make it work,” he said.

Do you think the Sixers will make it work or will it be another failed experiment? Let us know your views in the comments below.

Before you go, though, be sure to check this video of Leonardo Armato’s take on the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe. Don’t forget to check back in for more such updates from our ES Fancast!