Sixers analysis

Could the Sixers cut Paul George loose at the Trade Deadline?

At least one team is showing interest in the 9-time All-Star... would the Sixers cut bait so soon?

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Paul George is seven months into his 4-year, $212 million contract with the Sixers. Things have not started off as advertised for the 9-time All-Star.

But GM Daryl Morey has a chance to move PG, and undo what could end up being a lingering albatross of a contract.

ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania reported Monday that The Golden State Warriors are star hunting ahead of Thursday afternoon’s trade deadline, and among the players they are showing interest in is George.

George was signed last July as a potential upgrade at small forward for Tobias Harris, and things have not gone well. The 34-year-old has already missed 18 games this season due to injury, and when he does play, his stats are reminiscent of that of Harris, who was remembered largely as a disappointment by Sixers fans. The Sixers may not get a better chance at moving George as they have potentially in front of him.

It’s not too much more than a distant possibility that the Warriors would move on George. They’ve been mentioned as showing interest in a host of upper-tier players, most of them having a better caliber of season than PG. But, as they say, stranger things have happened, and they have happened in the last 48 hours. The Western Conference has already set off some seismic trades, led by the Doncic-for-Davis deal between the Mavs and the Lakers. Meanwhile, the Bulls and Kings took two more big names off the board by swapping De’Aaron Fox and Zach Lavine.

There are potential hang-ups to any George deal, not the least of which is Morey. Like any NBA general manager, he will likely preach patience. But George isn’t getting any younger. His scoring average is worse than it’s been in a decade, and he has missed more than 100 games over the last three-plus seasons.

There’s also the matter of the rest of the roster, and it’s centerpiece, Joel Embiid. The team’s window to contend with Embiid as the chief cog in the wheel is closing, even with Tyrese Maxey emerging as a perennial All-Star, and rookie Jared McCain bursting with potential.

What a George-to-Golden-State deal might look like is tough, but the major incoming piece would likely be veteran forward Andrew Wiggins. The 2014 #1 overall pick has stats comparable to George’s, but has just two years and $58 million remaining on his deal beyond this season. The Warriors are up against the hard cap, so they would need to add contracts to match George’s $49.2M price tag (Wiggins makes 26.2 million).

This may be delving too deep into trade details, considering the unlikelihood of a deal happening. But if a team is willing to deal for George, it’s certainly worth hearing them out.

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