Paul George Rumors: 76ers Think They Have 'Real Chance' to Land Clippers Star in FA

The Philadelphia 76ers' decision to keep their cap space open with the hope of making a big splash this summer could pay off in a big way.

On the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast (starts at 60:00 mark), The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor said the Sixers think they have "a real chance" to sign Paul George away from the Los Angeles Clippers.

"Well, the Sixers think there's a real chance they end up with Paul George," O'Connor said. "From my understanding, talking with people around the league, they think there's a real chance he ends up leaving. No guarantees, but there's a chance of it."

The race to sign George is shaping up to be one of the most fascinating stories of the offseason.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium said on Tuesday's episode of Up & Adams with Kay Adams (starts at 50:45 mark) that people around the NBA believe George wants to remain with the Clippers.

When the 76ers traded James Harden to the Clippers in November, the primary piece sent back to Philadelphia was an unprotected first-round draft pick in 2028.

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey isn't known for taking a patient approach, but the decision to let Harden go in order to allow Tyrese Maxey the opportunity to develop as the primary point guard paid off considerably.

Maxey had an All-Star season and solidified himself as a foundation piece for the franchise. He will almost certainly sign a max extension this summer.

Philadelphia's loss in the first round of the playoffs to the New York Knicks did highlight the team's need for a reliable third star who can play with Maxey and Joel Embiid. Kelly Oubre Jr. was the only other player on the roster who averaged at least 10.0 points per game in the six-game series.

George has a $48.8 million player option with the Clippers for next season. He can sign a four-year, $221 million deal with the club if he opts out. The max he can get from another team is $212.2 million over four years.

Per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, the Clippers' in-season talks with George's camp saw the team not want to offer him more than the three years and $153 Kawhi Leonard got on his extension because Leonard is viewed as their best player.

ESPN's Bobby Marks noted the 76ers can create up to $65 million in cap space if they renounce all of their free agents except Maxey. If Maxey signs his new deal, they could add George on a max deal and still have an $8 million midlevel exception to sign another rotation player.

George's outlook with the Clippers could also depend on how much he believes Leonard can be healthy in the postseason and if they bring back Harden.

Leonard only played in two of the six games against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round this season due to a knee injury. He has only appeared in four of the Clippers' last 19 postseason games dating back to 2021.

George, who turned 34 on May 2, averaged 22.6 points on 41.3 percent three-point shooting and 5.2 rebounds in 74 starts this season.