Daryl Morey: Paul George Contract 'Best Plan' for 76ers to Contend for NBA Title

Paul George is 34 years old and has played more than 56 games in just one of the last five seasons, but that didn't stop the Philadelphia 76ers from signing him to a four-year, $212 million maximum contract this offseason.

"We were taking what we thought was the best plan to keep ourselves in title contention, but it definitely was a risky plan," president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. "They don't always work out, but we felt like all the other plans were worse."

Philadelphia is no stranger to walking the tightrope that comes with injury risks.

After all, star big man Joel Embiid played 39 games last season and has never appeared in more than 68 games in a campaign throughout a career that started with him being sidelined for his first two years in the league.

But Morey and the rest of the front office understood just how loaded the Eastern Conference is this season.

The Boston Celtics are the reigning champions, the Milwaukee Bucks have plenty of star power with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the Indiana Pacers are coming off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, the New York Knicks added Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, and teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat figure to be threats.

Philadelphia needs all the talent it can get, and George certainly represents plenty of talent.

The versatile wingman has a resume that includes six All-NBA selections, four All-Defensive selections and nine All-Star Game nods. What's more, the one time in the last five seasons he played more than 56 games just so happened to be last season when he appeared in 74.

George averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from deep for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2023-24.

That three-point shooting in particular stands out, as he figures to see plenty of open looks playing alongside Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Opposing defenses will have to pick their poison when the trio is on the floor together, and George is capable of making them pay when they focus too much attention on Embiid.

If it all goes according to plan, the 76ers will be competing for a deep playoff run come the spring.