Philadelphia 76ers center Paul George, owner Josh Harris (left) and president Daryl Morey pose for a photo at the NBA basketball team’s practice facility, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Camden, N.J. (AP Photo/Derrick Hamilton)
CAMDEN, N.J. — Tyrese Maxey was told to wait. Be patient, and the millions will come.
Maybe even an NBA championship.
Maxey had some skepticism a year ago when the Philadelphia 76ers told their guard — who wasn’t yet an All-Star, who hadn’t yet scored 50 points in a game three times — not to sign a contract extension until this summer.
The 76ers’ logic was solid: Maxey would begin the offseason with a salary cap hold of $13 million, a low figure by NBA standards, allowing the Sixers to enter free agency with roughly $65 million to build a roster that included a potential superstar to join him and 2023 NBA MVP and Olympian Joel Embiid.
READ: NBA: Paul George set to join 76ers on $212 million deal
Enter Paul George.
The 76ers, short of money, convinced George to leave the Los Angeles Clippers and sign a four-year, $212 million contract. The 76ers and team president Daryl Morey didn’t forget about Maxey either. Maxey, the NBA’s most improved player, got a five-year, $204 million contract in return for his wait. The 76ers gave more than $400 million in salaries to two players they believe are the best contenders to beat the NBA champion Boston Celtics.
The 76ers rewarded Maxi for the biggest assist of his career.
“By being patient, he allowed us to put this offseason together, which really allowed us to become one of the very few legitimate contenders in the league this year,” Morey said.
Tyrese Maxey (0) of the Philadelphia 76ers gestures after making a 3-point basket during Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The 76ers have believed they have been legitimate contenders for years, but have had a few second-rate players come to town with nothing special to show for it other than their performances in the postseason. Philly fans can easily make a list of bad players, from Ben Simmons to Tobias Harris, Jimmy Butler to Al Horford, Markelle Fultz to James Harden.
Both George, 34, and Maxey held their first formal press conferences at the 76ers’ New Jersey complex on Tuesday, with the owner, front office, and even the All-Star duo present, and this time insisted — for real! — that this season could be as good as it can be in Philly.
“I think we’re ready,” team owner Josh Harris said. “It’s hard not to be excited about this team. I’ve been here 10 years, 12 years, and this isn’t the best team, but this is the best team we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
Maxey was confident he would still have money a year from now, and Maxey, selected 21st in the 2020 draft, has found a place in Philadelphia.
“I understood what the end goal was,” Maxey said. “Sometimes you have to realize that.”
George, who averaged 20.8 points over a 14-year career, wanted to move on from the Clippers and declined the player option in his $48.8 million contract for 2024–25, ending his five-year deal with the team in which he averaged at least 21.5 points per season.
READ: NBA: 76ers sign $400 million contracts with Paul George, Maxi
George said that “Philly was No. 1 for his top choice in free agency” because the 76ers “were a fit for my game and where I was at in my career.”
Perhaps.
However, the 76ers moved into the top spot because they offered nearly $60 million more than the Clippers’ offer, which George called “outrageous.”
George said on his podcast earlier this month that he “never wanted to leave L.A.” and would have signed with the Clippers if they offered him a three-year, $150 million extension like they gave Kawhi Leonard. George also wanted a no-trade clause. George said the Clippers would not give him a four-year, $212 million contract or any deal without the promise of a no-trade clause.
He said Tuesday that he has no “ill will” toward the Clippers. He thanked the organization for allowing him to play in his home city and giving him “a legitimate chance to win a championship every season.”
George traded the Big Three with Leonard and Harden to Los Angeles to give him a chance to join Maxi and Embiid and form a strong trio in Philly.
“Joel is secretly one of my closest All-Star Game friends,” George said. “It just felt like at some point we would connect and become teammates.”
George was greeted at his California home by a number of people, including Harris, Morey, coach Nick Nurse and even 76ers legend and Hall of Famer Julius Erving. George was delayed in arriving at his home due to weather delays.
“The good doctor opened the vodka,” Harris said. “It was a long trip.”
The 76ers’ hopes end with a championship.
It’s been a tough road for a franchise that hasn’t advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 2001 and hasn’t won it all since Irving won an NBA title in 1983.
Even George — who has yet to win a title in previous stops with Indiana, Oklahoma City and the Clippers — knew what his immediate goal was in Philly.
“Obviously, winning,” George said for a moment, “and advancing to the second round.”
Embiid, George and Maxey will get some help. Morey used the available cap room and roster space to bring back Kyle Lowry and Kelly Oubre Jr., and add Andre Drummond, Caleb Martin, KJ Martin and 2024 draft picks Jared McCann and Adam Bona to the team.
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“Most of my ideas are being penciled in,” Nurse said. “I have a few ideas. But I really think we’ll experiment and try a lot of different things.”
