76ers Rumors: 6-time All-Star nearly signed with Philly in free agency

Without any reservation, the Philadelphia 76ers will enter the 2024-25 season with their chin held high after winning the jackpot in this year’s free agency spree. After adding Paul George in the open market, the franchise now has a potentially storied Big Three to lean on as they seek to put a governor on what has been a 41-year championship drought.

Expectation will be higher for the 76ers in the upcoming campaign, and their overarched stance means there’s no more excuses to be made this time around. But had they failed to land their new, shiny toy, apparently, they could’ve fared almost as well as they did, at least if we’re talking name value.

6-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan reveals he considered signing with the Philadelphia 76ers

In a recent appearance and exchange with 76ers star Paul George on Podcast P with Paul George, DeMar DeRozan bared that Philadelphia was one of the destinations he pinpointed as a potential abode in free agency.

DeRozan ultimately ended up getting signed-and-traded by the Chicago Bulls to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team deal (with the San Antonio Spurs). Now, he returns to the Western Conference where he hopes to help his new club return to the playoffs after missing the postseason in the previous season.

A Big-Three of him, Domantas Sabonis, and De’Aaron Fox should be more than enough to put them in the thick of the playoff race out West, though the task remains a tall one in view of the Conference’s brutal difficulty and depth of talent.

Still, it’s probably the kismetic forces of the world that brought him to Sacramento instead of Philadelphia. Had the 76ers managed to sign him, they wouldn’t have been able to snag George who, without offense to DeRozan, is simply a much better fit given his skillset and defensive ability.