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Paul George Predicted to be Primary Trade Bait for Sixers Soon

Should the Sixers entertain trade calls for Paul George?

Justin Grasso

Nov 10, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) warms up before action against the Charlotte Hornets during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Nov 10, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) warms up before action against the Charlotte Hornets during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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Season one of the Paul George era on the Sixers in Philadelphia is in the books a little early. As George deals with multiple setbacks, he was ruled out for the next six weeks, which puts him on the injury report through the rest of the regular season.

Since the Sixers are struggling to fight for a Play-In position, the postseason is unlikely this year. For a team that had championship goals at the start of the 2024-2025 NBA season, the Sixers have been one of the most disappointing teams this year.

George was viewed as the piece that could help get the Sixers to where they wanted to go. Instead, injuries piled up, creating more absences than desired. With the offseason soon approaching, George was recently predicted to be primary trade bait for the 76ers by Bleacher Report.

Paul Georg
Mar 1, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) and Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield (7) chase a loose ball during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

“George hasn't looked worthy of his $211.6 million max deal, and the Sixers are just in a bad spot,” BR’s Eric Pincus wrote. “

In 41 games, George averaged 16 points on 43 percent shooting from the field. He averaged 6.5 threes per game, shooting at a 36 percent clip. He averaged under 20 points for the first time since his six-game run with the Indiana Pacers in 2014.

George was relatively healthy just a season ago, appearing in 74 games for the Los Angeles Clippers at 33 years old. While that’s a sign he can reach over 65 games played in his 30s, history still suggests George struggles to stay healthy consistently.

Prior to the 2023-2024 season, George failed to play in more than 56 games for four years in a row. Knowing they have availability concerns with Joel Embiid, the Sixers signed George so they could rely on him as a co-star with Tyrese Maxey when Embiid misses stretches. However, George is already struggling to prove he can be relied on in those situations.

The fact that George struggled to produce when on the court was just another red flag. At this point, a potential PG trade after one season on the Sixers has not been suggested. Considering the circumstances, it seems the nine-time All-Star might be a popular potential trade block candidate this summer until the 2025-2026 season arrives.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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