It’s been a busy 24 hours for the Philadelphia 76ers, highlighted by the breaking news way too late yesterday — or way too early this morning — that the team had signed veteran forward Paul George, with the 34-year-old reportedly wearing an Allen Iverson jersey during the negotiations.
Along with that, Tyrese Maxey has reportedly signed a max-level extension, free agent Kelly Oubre Jr. is coming back on a 2-year deal, Andre Drummond is set to return after stints with the Nets and the Bulls, Eric Gordon is coming to Philly, and Tobias Harris is reportedly on his way to the Detroit Pistons.
All of that adds to last week’s addition of Duke/TikTok star Jared McCain and UCLA big man Adem Bona in the NBA Draft.
It was a gargantuan first day of the free agency season. Experts, both locally and nationally, had a lot of thoughts on the biggest Sixers news of the day, and what it could mean for the team’s title hopes next season and beyond.
NBC Sports analyst Marc Jackson had favorable reviews, highlighting PG-13’s dynamism and ability to overcome adversity.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps called the Sixers’ Big Three of Joel Embiid, George and Maxey the best in the league, barring any major injury issues with the first two players.
First Take’s Shannon Sharpe sees George as a big improvement on Harris.
Colin Cowherd’s reaction was positive, and so important he seemingly couldn’t step away from some morning yard work to give it.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes had a more somber outlook, writing that George’s age and the team’s poor track record when signing James Harden and other veterans in the recent past had him concerned.
Not so The Ringer’s Michael Pina, who wrote that George provides Embiid with “someone who’s perfectly cast as a costar and second fiddle, with a combination of size, length, playmaking expertise, and shotmaking chops that can’t be duplicated.”
Chris Haynes at TNT said he’d heard from Embiid, and the former MVP is “excited.”
The Sixers’ interest in George was a topic of conversation over the past few months, and Embiid may have shown how keen the team was to get the biggest name on the free agency board with his quick side eye during the NBA Finals coverage.
George has been far less subtle in his thoughts on Embiid, calling him this generation’s Shaquille O’Neal on his podcast back in January.
There is still work to do, as the Sixers have not filled out their complete roster and are still short at least one starter. But spirits are high, and hopefully the Sixers’ outlay of nearly $500 million in a few hours pans out over the next four seasons.
