Paul George has not only been a major disappointment for the Philadelphia 76ers, but his salary will be hard for them to stomach going forward.
Once the 2025 season concludes, George will have three years left on his four-year, $212 million contract. He has a player option for the 2028 season, but because he’ll be 37 by then, he’ll likely opt in.
This could be a problem for Philadelphia, as George’s age and salary may only worsen things with each passing year. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey concluded that it might be time for the Sixers to part ways with the nine-time All-Star.
“Six offseasons after shedding Al Horford’s enormous salary, one has to wonder if the Sixers can do the same to Paul George’s deal,” Pompey wrote.
He added that despite George’s massive contract, he has some appeal to teams trying to win.
“There’s always one team. Maybe two or three,” Pompey wrote. “But that’s a move an executive would only make if he thought George could be the final piece to an NBA championship.”
Pompey added that a George deal could happen on the premise that potentially trading for him could be like when the Golden State Warriors acquired Sixers alum Jimmy Butler. A trade partner would be comfortable with his injury history, and that George’s archetype as a two-way wing is “something every team needs.”
Still, that might be hard for the Sixers to pull off. At least, it would be without including a draft asset like the Al Horford trade did. However, Pompey’s not wrong in that teams can get desperate enough to trade for overpaid players like George if they believe that the player in question will get them over the top.
Just because adding George didn’t work for the Sixers doesn’t mean it can’t work out for someone else.
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