The Philadelphia 76ers are arguably one piece away from the NBA Finals run the city has been waiting for since Joel Embiid arrived, and that player may be on his way to Philly this summer.
The postseason is at a minimum one game, and at a maximum three games, from its conclusion, meaning teams will start making free agent moves and trade inquiries in a matter of days rather than weeks. League rules have afforded the Los Angeles Clippers plenty of runway to re-up with nine-time All-Star forward Paul George, but no deal has yet come to fruition.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report wrote on Friday, June 14, that the long stall in negotiations is indicative of “an impasse,” which could see George hit unrestricted free agency and afford Philadelphia the chance it needs to swoop in and claim a third star alongside Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
“With the Philadelphia 76ers’ significant spending power, the 34-year-old has the leverage to push the Clippers lest he relocates to the Eastern Conference,” Pincus wrote. “Unless he opts in and extends with the Clips, George would decline his final year at $48.8 million to sign a new contract, potentially for four years ($221.1 million in Los Angeles, $212.2 million in Philadelphia). If L.A. was willing to offer that kind of salary, a deal would already be done on an extension.”
Joel Embiid May Have Sent Message to 76ers Front Office With Recent Social Media Stir
Embiid recently came out publicly via his X account and questioned whether the Milwaukee Bucks assured the Boston Celtics of a title in 2023-24 by trading away Jrue Holiday, which opened up a path for the two-way star and former champion to end up in New England.
Did the bucks give them the championship?
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) June 13, 2024
“Did the bucks give [the Celtics] the championship?” Embiid wrote on June 12.
While Embiid was apparently trolling both the Bucks and the Celtics, Brian Windhorst and Tim McMahon of ESPN questioned whether last season’s MVP was also sending a message to general manager Daryl Morey and the rest of the front office on the type of moves he’s expecting them to make this offseason.
“Embiid saying that, he’s trolling the Bucks,” Windhorst said on the Friday edition of the “Brian Windhorst & the Hoop Collective” podcast.
“Is he trolling his own GM?” McMahon posited.
“That’s what I wanted to ask you about,” Winhorst responded.
“I’ll tell you what, ya know, big summer for Daryl Morey,” McMahon said.
“If you’re in the East, and you’re watching what Boston is doing, and you’re about to go into your offseason here — you better step up your game,” Windhorst added.
Jimmy Butler Offers 76ers Backup Plan if Paul George Returns to L.A., Lands Elsewhere
Windhorst went on to question whether George is the ideal target for Philly this summer, putting his doubts in the context of what appears to be a title-team-in-waiting in the Celtics and their bright future beyond a potential championship in 2024.
“I’m not so sure that that’s the move for Philly,” Windhorst said. “You add Paul George to Philly, are they beating Boston?”
“I’ll tell you what, if you have Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Joel Embiid … especially if they can, say, bring back [Nicolas] Batum, [Kelly] Oubre and Kyle Lowry, that’s a pretty good team,” Tim Bontemps, also of ESPN, responded. “And obviously, ‘if healthy’ is a huge thing.”
Regardless of which direction the team goes, the Sixers front office has long positioned itself as ready to pounce on a star-level player this offseason.
Keith Pompay of the Philadelphia Enquirer reported on May 28 that the team would be willing to trade assets to acquire Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat and then offer him a max contract extension, which would likely carry the 34-year-old to the end — or very near the end — of his professional career. And Butler is just the Sixers’ backup plan.
“The Sixers view [Butler] as a fallback option if they are unable to sign Paul George in free agency,” Pompey wrote. “And, according to sources, the Sixers are prepared to give Butler a maximum-salary extension if things align and he forces a trade out of Miami.”
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