76ers will sign 9-time All-Star Paul George to max contract, source says

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The Philadelphia 76ers have landed the plane and found a third star to play with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Nine-time All-Star Paul George will sign a max contract with the Sixers in NBA free agency , a source confirmed to CBS News Philadelphia Monday morning.

George intends to sign a four-year, $212 million contract with the Sixers on Saturday when free agents can sign contracts. The NBA moratorium period began Sunday night and ends at noon Saturday.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the signing.

George, 34, had been linked to the Sixers throughout the offseason as a target to insert in the starting lineup alongside Embiid and Maxey, who made his first All-Star game last season and won the NBA's Most Improved Player of the Year Award .

On Saturday night, George opted out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers by declining his $48 million player option for the 2024-25 season. He picked the Sixers over returning to the Clippers, his hometown team where he played for the past five seasons. The Orlando Magic were also reportedly a threat to sign George.

In the 2023-24 season with the Clippers, George made the All-Star team, averaging 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists and shot 41% on 3-pointers on nearly eight attempts per game.

George isn't the same player he was once when he joined the Clippers ahead of the 2019-20 season. Still, he's an upgrade over Tobias Harris, Philadelphia's previous third-scoring option behind Embiid and Maxey. George has had playoff shortcomings throughout his career, but his game seamlessly fits alongside Embiid and Maxey. George will be the latest running mate to join Embiid in Philly after the big man has played with Jimmy Butler , Ben Simmons and James Harden .

All eyes will be on George's availability and health this upcoming Sixers season. He played in 74 games last season, but that was the first time he played more than 70 games since the 2018-19 season. From 2019-2023, George never played more than 56 games in the regular season.

The Sixers entered the offseason with plenty of cap space and assets to use in a trade to build around Embiid and Maxey, who's also set to earn a max contract extension that could pay him $205 million over five years. In addition to George, the Sixers have reportedly agreed to deals with veterans Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon .

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is tasked with building a contender to get the Sixers past the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001 and back to the NBA Finals. And he'll have to do it in an extremely competitive Eastern Conference after the Boston Celtics won the NBA Finals in June.

The Sixers fell short again in the playoffs last season as Embiid dealt with multiple injuries , including Bell's palsy , and were eliminated in six games by the Knicks , who recently traded for former Villanova star Mikal Bridges .

Even after signing George, the Sixers are expected to be aggressive in free agency and will likely look to bring back some of their own free agents .

The Sixers picked Duke guard Jared McCain and UCLA center Adem Bona in the 2024 NBA draft last week and signed Philly native Justin Edwards to a two-way contract.