The NBA playoffs are in full swing, but many teams are already eyeing the trade market this summer. Embiid-led Philadelphia are currently trailing the Knicks 2-0 in the playoffs. After Harden joined the Clippers, Philadelphia's overall competitiveness has declined, and it has basically withdrawn from the Eastern Conference Championship Group. This summer, Philadelphia management will offer potential rookie Maxey a contract extension with a maximum salary, while they will also use the team's remaining salary space to recruit and bolster the roster in the trade and free agent markets to convince interior core Embiid to stay with the team for a long time.
The 76ers have about $65 million in salary space after the end of this season, according to 76ers reporter Keith Pomepy, if the Clippers can't offer Paul George a contract extension this summer, the 76ers will chase Paul George in the free agent market and let him and Embiid Maxey form a new version of the 76ers' Big Three to attack the championship. From a technical point of view, Paul George is a top striker with all-round offensive and defensive skills. He has been named to the NBA All-Star team eight times in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, and 2024. Paul George has played in 70 games for the Clippers this season, averaging 22.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the regular season. The Clippers tied 1-1 with the Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. If the Clippers are eliminated by the Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, the Clippers are likely to rebuild their championship roster this summer, and the departure of Paul George has created favorable conditions.
For the 76ers, if they succeed in poaching Paul George from the Clippers this summer to form a new version of the Big Three, it will not only bring the 76ers back to the ranks of Eastern Conference championship teams. And it can also take revenge on the Clippers for poaching Harden. However, according to BR reporter Eric Pincus, a well-known domestic sports media "Let's Go Live", according to multiple sources in the league, Paul George is likely to re-sign an early contract extension with the Clippers this summer. George's salary this season is $45.64 million, with a $48.78 million player option next season, and the maximum amount he can currently extend early is about $233 million for four years. The Clippers have four superstars this season, Harden, George, Jr., and Westbrook, and are the favorites to compete for the championship in the West, and these four superstars occupy the vast majority of the Clippers' salary space, but all this is not a problem for the Clippers. Because they have Ballmer, the league's richest owner, the huge luxury tax is just a number for the Clippers. Judging by George's stats and form this season, he deserves a contract extension with a maximum salary.
For George himself, he won't leave the Clippers to join the 76ers unless Clippers management is unwilling to renew his contract. Looking at the roster configuration of the two teams, there is a huge gap between the Clippers and the 76ers. And the 76-year-old Maxey is currently in the growth stage, and Embiid, as the team's leading star, is soft and does not have the temperament of a leader at all. Joining the 76ers will not allow George to touch the championship trophy at all, so I personally think that the 76ers' plan to poach Paul George this summer is likely to end in failure. Paul George will finally say goodbye to 76ers management, and continue to stay with the Clippers to assist James Harden in the championship.