Star forward Paul George has agreed to a four-year, $212 million maximum contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, ESPN reported early Monday morning.
George accepted the deal during a meeting with Philadelphia’s front office, which included team owner Josh Harris, general manager Elton Brand, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, and Sixers Hall of Famer Julius Erving. The meeting took place in Los Angeles.
Also present was team executive Peter Dinwiddie, who developed a close relationship with George during their time with the Indiana Pacers.
George’s new contract includes a player option for the 2027-28 season, the final year of the deal.
Having spent the past five seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, George informed the team of his plans to sign elsewhere. The Clippers released a statement acknowledging George’s decision and the unsuccessful contract negotiations.
“Paul has informed us that he is signing his next contract with another team,” the statement read. “Paul is a tremendous talent and an elite two-way player. We feel fortunate for the five years we spent with him. We negotiated for months with Paul and his representative on a contract that would make sense for both sides, and we were left far apart. The gap was significant. We understand and respect Paul’s decision to look elsewhere for his next contract.”
ESPN had indicated that the 76ers were the front-runners to sign George, who now joins MVP Joel Embiid and All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, forming a formidable trio. The 76ers finished the 2023-24 season with a 47-35 record, securing the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference before being eliminated by the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.
In the 2023-24 season, George played 74 games, his most with the Clippers, averaging 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 47.1 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point range.
Over his 14 NBA seasons with the Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Clippers, George has career averages of 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.7 steals across 867 games.
George entered free agency on Saturday after declining his player option with the Clippers.