Philadelphia 76ers may need to prioritize Paul George's contract over his talent to avoid purgatory.
The Philadelphia 76ers will enter the 2025 NBA offseason facing a brutal reality. Less than a year after building a paper superteam, Philadelphia is searching for answers as it looks for a way to rebound quickly from a 24-58 campaign that revealed an unavoidable flaw in the system.
Whether fair or foul, the 76ers only have one chance to avoid spending years in purgatory—and it all comes down to trading Paul George.
Philadelphia can improve its outlook by acing the 2025 NBA Draft and landing a player who will become a legitimate franchise building block. It's seemingly intent on doing so, with a rumor circulating that it's looking to trade up from No. 3 to No. 2 overall.
Even if the 76ers land a potentially transcendent talent, however, the fact remains that they're on the books for more than $100 million per season between two injury-prone veterans in their 30s.
Joel Embiid will receive a base salary of $55,224,526 for the 2025-26 season, while George will be right behind him at $51,666,090. Those numbers will only grow over time, with George signed through 2028 and Embiid inked until 2029.
Trading Embiid is an unrealistic idea given how invested Philadelphia is in rewriting an 11-year narrative, but the front office can vastly improve its future by parting with George.
76ers must make trading Paul George a top priority this summer
It won't be easy to convince a rival team to trade for George. His talent and two-way value are undeniable, but he's 35 years of age with three expensive years remaining on his contract and a long history of injuries in the rearview.
George has missed at least 20 games in all but two seasons since 2019-20, and is coming off of a 2024-25 campaign during which he looked like a shell of himself.
The optimistic take is that George will bounce back from an injury-plagued season and thrive with more to play for than salvaging a lost year. Even if he doesn't quite play at a $50 million level, a combination of high-quality defense, above-average playmaking, and his smooth and versatile scoring skill set would prove invaluable.
The unfortunate reality of the George experience, however, is that his bill of health isn't the only deciding factor in whether or not his contract makes sense long-term.
George's value will be decided in large part by the availability of Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. A healthy version of that trio would be one of the best in the NBA, with balance and unselfishness spread throughout the starting lineup at a star-caliber level.
Unfortunately, Embiid has missed 106 games over the past two seasons—and there's no safe wager on George being able to return to an All-Star level of play, let alone avoid injuries himself.
76ers need to get real about what they can expect from Joel Embiid
That unfortunate truth is the driving force behind the sense of urgency to trade George. The market is uncertain, but it will only become more difficult to execute a deal if his injuries or lackluster play carry into the 2025-26 season.
As such, the 76ers must do everything in their power to trade George before his market value can be virtually eradicated and they're left with an annual salary of more than $50 million weighing them down.
There's always the chance that George will play well and either justify his contract or improve his market value ahead of the 2026 trade deadline. The 76ers are building a fragile structure, however, no matter how promising their youth movement is becoming.
It must be reiterated that Embiid, George, and Maxey have the potential for greatness, but their respective injury histories are too much for the franchise to gamble on.
Instead, the 76ers should look to move George and build around a core of Embiid, Quentin Grimes, Maxey, Jarred McCain, and whomever they select at the 2025 NBA Draft. Moving George may not net the greatest return at this point in time, but shedding a massive salary, let alone potentially acquiring depth, would be a win.
It may paint a different picture for the 2025-26 season than some are hoping to see with the Boston Celtics' momentum derailed, but the 76ers must avoid purgatory.