The Philadelphia 76ers are in dire need of a major reshuffle, but their albatross contracts make it a lot difficult to even seriously entertain that think piece. Between Joel Embiid and Paul George, the team is dealing with two aging stars who are on overbloated deals. As such, it is nearly impossible that the front office will be able to trade either of them.
Embiid’s mammoth extension is set to kick in only next season, while George still has two years left on the maximum deal he signed a couple of years ago. However, much to the surprise of many, it seems like the consensus is that the 76ers will actually have an easier time shopping George than Embiid, and it is not really hard to see why.
Sure, Embiid might still be an elite star when he is healthy, but he carries far greater injury risks than George, which is pretty telling of how vulnerable he is physically due to the latter also being known for missing considerable time each year due to injuries of his own. However, that is only one of the reasons why trading Embiid will be harder.
The 76ers will actually have an easier time trading Paul George than Joel Embiid
At his very best, George is still a hell of an offensive option on the tertiary. He is no longer the player he once was, but he remains one of the better three-and-D options in the league thanks to his shot-making prowess out in the perimeter and headiness on the defensive end.
Given his skill set, George is going to be way easier to integrate to lineups compared to Embiid. The latter is the better player –– make no mistake about it. But when it comes to wheeling and dealing, teams tend to be more emphatic on getting the better-fitting player, and with most other teams, George is simply the more seamless fit.
Still, getting another team to willingly pluck on George’s contract will be tall task in and of itself. But when compared to what the 76ers will have to put at stake in order to find a taker for Embiid, shipping George away suddenly looks like a cursory task.
The Philadelphia 76ers are still unlikely to make a drastic change to their core this offseason, but if they do, they can count that the team will be aggressive trying to find a taker for Paul George.
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