Clippers All-Star Forward to Leave Los Angeles For New Team

Los Angeles Clippers All-Star Paul George is expected to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this summer

Mar 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; LA Clippers forward Paul George (13) dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Nurse's Philadelphia 76ers team appears to be loading up for next season.

All indications are the 76ers will sign Paul George to a four-year max contract following his departure from the Los Angeles Clippers, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. The deal is expected to pay George $212 million over the next four seasons once the deal becomes finalized.

Contract talks between George and the Clippers broke down when Los Angeles declined to offer the 34-year-old a four-year contract. Los Angeles had hoped to get George on a three-year max deal, the same as Kawhi Leonard, but George was seeing the addition year of security.

"Paul has informed us that he is signing his next contract with another team," the Clippers wrote in a statement released Sunday night. "... We negotiated for months with Paul and his representative on a contract that would make sense for both sides, and we were left far apart. The gap was significant. We understand and respect Paul’s decision to look elsewhere for his next contract. We explored an opt-in and trade scenario, but it would have left us in a similar position under the new CBA, with very little asset value to justify the restrictions. "

Philadelphia had been waiting to use its salary cap space all season and should now be able to ink the All-Star guard as its big free agency addition of the offseason.

George averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game for the Clippers this past year while shooting 41.3% from behind the arc.

If the deal is finalized, it'll add another All-Star to the Eastern Conference where the Toronto Raptors appear to be vying for a spot in the play-in tournament next year.