The 76ers took on a massive risk no one else was willing to take

Desperate to snap a four decades-long title drought, the Philadelphia 76ers took on an rousing turn for this season, completely venturing into the best options that free agency had to offer. While the team has been off to an ugly start to their campaign, when finally healthy, few would doubt their ability to go deep into the playoffs.

After years of searching for an ideal third fiddle, the 76ers finally went ahead and snagged one of the best players who offer the snuggest fit on the team in the form of Paul George, a nine-time All-Star who entered free agency as its biggest prize.

George’s exit from the Clippers was a pretty surprising development at the time. After all, George hails from Los Angeles and has formed a solid partnership with Kawhi Leonard despite their lack of a championship over the years.

The 76ers took a massive leap of faith with Paul George

Ultimately, the stars aligned perfectly for the 76ers to remain the only tenable destination remaining for Paul George. However, it seems like LA was not exactly without any train of thought in letting the All-Star forward go and walk away for nothing in free agency.

The Clippers were, of course, looking for attractive offers for George, but eventually decided against taking back any significant money to be able to use their cap space to go ahead and sign role players who can help them remain afloat in the playoff race out West.

In addition, Steve Ballmer and the Clippers brass admitted to have become wary of the new CBA, which effectively discouraged teams from forming a superteam and hoarding talent. A core of Leonard, George, and James Harden would certainly be a debilitating and costly manuever for the franchise, and preserving that nucleus would mean conceding assets as part fo the new CBA.

Philadelphia nevertheless assumed the risk and signed George to a four-year, max deal — something the Clippers never even considered offering due to George’s injury histroy and age. The 76ers gave George what he perfectly want, and boy did he get just that.

The 76ers will have a tricky time building the roster moving forward. One could imagine that the core of Embiid, George, and Maxey would be among the most expensive troikas in sports, and by the time his contract ends, George will have already been 38 years old.

All in all, that was a risk — a calculated one — by the Philadelphia 76ers. Hopefully, Paul George can help bring them back to the promised land in his stay with the franchise.