After finding themselves with another All-Star guard who wanted a change of scenery, the The Philadelphia 76ers It took nearly a year to come up with a new long-term plan. Daryl Morey ended up sending James Harden to the LA Clippers to a team that set them up well for the future.
Thanks to a series of trades last season, the Sixers have significant cap space heading into free agency. Morey will eventually take full advantage of it, completely overhauling the roster around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
The biggest decision the Sixers made was signing Paul George to a four-year max deal. With another All-Star player on the team, Philly now had a trio that could take them deep into the playoffs.
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Although he’s set to enter his 15th year in the league, George is still one of the best players at his position. Earlier this week, the folks at HoopsHype compiled a list of the top 30 forwards heading into the 2024-25 season. George finished No. 5, one spot below his former Clippers teammate Kawhi Leonard. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum were also ahead of him.
Regardless, we’re going to go by his past production and most recent season to say that he’ll remain a top-5 wing in basketball in 2024-25 thanks to his ability to score baskets and his hard-hitting defense. And if that’s the case, the 76ers could make a lot of noise in the Eastern Conference, because the only thing the team has been missing since the departure of the next player on this list is a star wing capable of scoring baskets alongside Embiid.
George is coming off his healthiest season in recent memory, playing 74 games. In addition to being named to the All-Star Game, he averaged 22.6 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game and 3.5 assists per game. George also had the best three-point shooting season of his career, hitting 41.3 percent of his high-volume attempts (7.9 attempts per game).
