The Philadelphia 76ers are off to an encouraging start this season, but most people are probably not going to be comfortable fancying them as real championship contenders. There are still way too many red flags with this roster, one of which is the ongoing mystery surrounding Paul George and how he will look like once he returns to the court.
George still has three years left on his deal including this season, with a player option on his final year. However, 76ers fans have already been calling for his mammoth deal to get moved. Now, given the way he played during the previous campaign, the front office would be hard-pressed to find a willing taker for his services. But luckily, there could be more teams this year on hard-sell mode that could allow them to be amenable to a deal to absorb the nine-time All-Star.
Having said that, if the 76ers go on that escapade to find a taker for George, they will have to part with considerable to significant assets to sweeten the pot. But with respect to the former All-Star himself, he literally has to do nothing, plain and simple.
Paul George has to stand still for the 76ers to be able to trade him
George’s body of work last season is obviously something that will not be alluring to any and all teams. He definitely was not max-contract caliber in 2024-25, and coupled with his continuous injury concerns, the 76ers might actually have an untradeable commodity.
This is where his pedigree matters. Teams have probably taken constructive notice of the fact that George’s injuries hampered him in a big way last season, giving rise to the real possibility of that season-long output being deemed an aberration. Really, given his playing style, there is ample room for him to return to being a top-level starter at the very least.
That is why the 76ers have to act fast if they want to trade him. This is speculative, but the status quo could be that George is still viewed as a high-caliber starter who is only one full season removed from a campaign where he turned in career-highs across the board when it comes to shooting the rock during his final campaign with the Clippers.
If Philly deploys George as soon as possible and he still struggles with such a controlling and widely desired skill, teams will no longer even entertain the thought of trading for George, even if only as a matter of a salary dump.
It is starting to feel like Paul George had already overstayed his welcome with the 76ers. Sure, he hasn’t had a real and fair shot to showcase himself, but this team is already built to work around things without him in the fold. Thus, a trade should definitely be in the front office’s cards.