Shannon Sharpe likes Paul George over Tobias Harris for the Sixers: "He was like a trustee in Philly because he got to go unscathed"

The Philadelphia 76ers have signed former L.A. Clippers star Paul George via a four-year $212 million deal.

The move will see George join 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid and emerging All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey in forming a new 'Big 3' era in Philly.

Previously, Tobias Harris was the third star of the Sixers—he was such for the past five years. And yet, whether it was Maxey, Ben Simmons, or James Harden as Embiid's co-star, Philly never made it out of the second round of the playoffs.

Now, Shannon Sharpe believes that they will have a better shot at advancing to at least the Conference Finals for the first time since 2001 with PG.

"No matter what you think of Paul George, he's three times, four times the player that Tobias Harris was," said Sharpe ."Tobias Harris has never showed up in big, meaningful moments. And he's skating. While we bash Joel Embiid for his health, while we bash Ben Simmons for not showing up, Tobias Harris has been on a max contract; he's been skating for years."

Harris has existed like a trustee in Philly

The Sixers have always received criticism in the Embiid era. While they have been a perennial playoff team with The Process, Philly has yet to advance past round two with JoJo. Their superstar center has received much of the blame, either because he hasn't been healthy enough or because he has disappeared in big games.

Joel's former co-star in Philly, Ben Simmons, also got heavily criticized for failing to help get the Sixers over the hump. But Harris, whom the Sixers signed to a five-year $180 million max salary to be the team's third star, has never shown up in the playoffs and yet hasn't been called out as much.

"He was a trustee," added Sharpe ."You know trustees? They can go to the library, they drive their truck on campus and nobody says anything. That's what he was; he's like a trustee in Philly because he got to go unscathed. Nobody said anything about Tobias Harris while they're beating up on everybody else."

Related: Patrick Ewing on how Larry Bird surprised him when he joined the NBA: “Whatever you were saying for a man who can’t jump, he’s demolishing everybody”

Sam Mitchell blames Harris for Sixers' first-round exit

Actually, someone did say something about Harris' performance in the recent postseason. Former Timberwolves head coach Sam Mitchell blamed Tobias for the Sixers' first-round playoff loss to the Knicks this past season.

"You talking about Philly losing all these games within three points. Tobias Harris played 29 minutes tonight; only took two field goals and no points. And you're talking about a guy making $40 million. He's supposed to be that third-best player. If he does anything, not only Philly wins the game, they probably win the series," Mitchell said.

Despite all these, Harris still landed a two-year $52 million deal with the Pistons, thereby bringing his career earnings to over $300 million, which is ridiculous for a trustee. Meanwhile, the Sixers hope that PG will really be the third star that takes them to the next level.

Related: "I owe them a trophy" – When Paul George promised to bring a title to the Clippers