The Philadelphia 76ers are, without a doubt, in an unenviable position when it comes to Paul George. Since setting foot in Philly, he has been an utter disappointment, making the front office’s decision to hand him a max contract a complete showing of wastage and short-sightedness. At this point, the franchise should click any available button that rids them of his burdensome deal.
However, the button does not exist — at least for now. The 76ers currently have no way out of George’s mammoth deal, effectively paralyzing them from making meaningful changes to the roster in account of another untradeable contract in the form of Joel Embiid. No team will realistically eye a shakeup to obtain the nine-time All-Star, especially the kind of season he just had.
The 76ers, however, could be the ones to force the issue. With Daryl Morey still at the helm, his bold negotiating arm could do wonders for the team if they want to go all-in on getting rid of George. One plausible way the front office can go with is to eye an aging All-Star on a short-term deal. While it won’t move the needle much for the team’s chances, it would nonetheless be a huge relief for the squad.
In need of a name? Well, look no further than DeMar DeRozan, whom the Kings are reportedly trying to trade next season.
The 76ers could swap Paul George for DeMar DeRozan
Now, the 76ers cannot possibly swap George for DeRozan in a straight-up trade. The latter makes just half of what the former cashes in on his current deal. Having said that, the Kings have the salaries to make up for the salary deficit and make the money work.
For example, Sacramento could combine DeRozan with Malik Monk, whom they have already been trying to trade, to match George’s salary.
In that hypothetical swap, the Kings would probably be team perceived to be on the conceding end, meaning that the 76ers would have to sweeten the pot a little to keep them interested.
Of course, DeRozan is an even trickier fit than George given his not-so-malleable skill set, but counting this season, he only has two years left on his rather moderate deal. Next season, his contract would be ripe for trading.
The reasoning for Philadelphia here is to get out of Paul George’s contract. And looking at their utter dearth of options, this is perhaps the only palatable way they can do that.