Report: Philadelphia 76ers will pursue Paul George in free agency

Philadelphia 76ers boss Daryl Morey did a bunch of wheeling and dealing ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline, but his plan to create over $50 million in cap space this summer remains intact.

According to TNT's Chris Haynes, the Sixers plan to pursue Clippers star Paul George in July if the two-way wing is unable to reach a contract extension with his hometown team.  

"If Paul George and the Clippers are unable to get an extension done, look for the Sixers to be very aggressive in trying to pursue him in the offseason," Haynes told SportsRadioWIP. "Paul George will definitely be a target for the Philadelphia 76ers."

Entering the 2024-25 season, Joel Embiid's $51.4 million salary would be the only guaranteed salary on the books for the Sixers, with the contracts of Tobias Harris, Buddy Hield, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, De'Anthony Melton, and Kelly Oubre Jr. all coming off the payroll.

Tyrese Maxey, meanwhile, will be a Restricted Free Agent with a cap hold of $13 million, giving Morey plenty of flexibility to re-sign the All-Star guard (or match any offer sheet) and still create over $50 million in cap space -- with hopes of going star hunting in free agency.

It has long been believed that the Sixers plan to sign at least one marquee name to pair with Embiid and Maxey to form a new Big 3 ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Besides George, other notable players who could enter free agency this summer include LeBron James, Pascal Siakam, James Harden, Tobias Harris, DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday, Klay Thompson, D'Angelo Russell and OG Anunoby.

According to several insiders, both George and Harden are expected to re-sign with the Clippers, especially after Kawhi Leonard recently committed to being in Los Angeles for the long haul. George, 33, holds a Player Option worth $48.7 million for the 2024-25 season that he is expected to decline, with hopes of securing one last long-term contract in the final leg of his career.