Sixers 'Frontrunners' to Land Paul George With Sunday Night Meeting Scheduled, per Report

The star is unlikely to return to his incumbent team, the Clippers, in free agency.

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

As NBA free agency gets underway, Paul George's future is one of the most intriguing storylines that could impact the league's power dynamic in 2024-25.

Early on, George was reportedly in the running to land on several teams, including the possibility of re-signing with the team his contract just ended with, the Los Angeles Clippers. By Sunday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that George's representation and the Clippers met and mutually agreed that there was no middle ground to be found between the two parties on a new deal.

ESPN Sources: Paul George’s agent — Aaron Mintz of CAA — and Clippers president Lawrence Frank had a conversation a short time ago that resulted in no new movement on a deal and an acknowledgment by both that George is unlikely to return to the Clippers.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2024

And therefore, the window opened for other teams to find an agreement with George, the nine-time All-Star in pursuit of his first NBA title.

The Philadelphia 76ers, according to Wojnarowski, are believed to be the frontrunners with the Clippers out, and they have a meeting scheduled for Sunday night.

The meeting is to take place in California.

The Clippers acknowledged this, releasing a statement that indicated the choice was George's to, "sign with another team." It went on to say, "Even as we fell short of our ultimate objective [of winning a championship], we appreciate the chances we had with Paul."

"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."

Earlier Sunday, the Clippers retained James Harden on a $70 million, two-year deal.

George's time with the Clippers appears positioned to end after five seasons where he averaged 23.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, being named to three All-Star teams. With the Clippers, George got as deep as the Western Conference Finals in 2021.

The Sixers are equally hungry for additions that will position them for an NBA title. Philadelphia has aimed to build around superstar big man and MVP Joel Embiid for several seasons now but has not advanced past the Eastern Conference semifinals. George is one of many players the Sixers have acquired to try to cobble a contender around Embiid. Previously, Philadelphia tried to make former MVP James Harden work to no avail.