‘PG’ joins Embiid and Maxey to form new Big Three!

Paul George is now officially a Sixer
PHOTO: AP

PAUL George is now officially a Sixer.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the 6-8 free agent forward has agreed to terms with the Philadelphia 76ers, signing a four-year, $212 million dollar deal with the Eastern Conference powerhouse on Monday afternoon (Philippine time)

The nine-time NBA All-Star comes in after spending five years with the Los Angeles Clippers, as his partnership with Kawhi Leonard, and later Russell Westbrook and James Harden, comes to a disappointing end.

Now George comes in and joins a solid Sixers squad bannered by former MVP Joel Embiid and brilliant spitfire guard Tyrese Maxey, officially forming a new Big Three in the City of Brotherly Love.

Paul George averaged 22.6 points for the Clippers last season. 
PHOTO BY: AP

Still formidable

Though his time with the Clippers didn’t end with a ring, the former All-NBA First Team member remains one of the best players in the league after posting averages of 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals last season.

His shooting splits in that stretch was the best in his entire career, posting career highs in field goal percentage (47.1), three-point percentage (41.3) and free throw percentage (90.7), in a relatively healthy season with 74 games played.

His addition definitely plugs the need for the Sixers to add another scoring option on the wing and complement the Embiid-Maxey duo, a pair that is slowly turning into one of the best one-two punches in the league.

But an injury to Embiid midway through the season halted the Sixers’ momentum, and while the Cameroonian-American big returned in a big way for the playoffs, their lack of a third-option was apparent.

In The Hunt For That Ring

The Sixers will be George’s fourth team in 15 seasons after spending time with the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder and the LA Clippers.

Those teams were relatively solid, but George and his squad has always run into some of the most formidable squads in the playoffs, and he’s hoping that this stint with the Sixers would finally give him the only thing missing from what has been an illustrious NBA career – a ring.

Sixers Stocking Up

George might be the biggest name for the Sixers so far, but he isn’t the first rotational player to join Embiid and co. this offseason.

The Sixers got a bargain as they signed veterans Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond in separate cheap deals to further improve their rotation.

Drummond signed a two-year $10-plus million deal to serve as Embiid’s primary back-up after another productive season with the Chicago Bulls, averaging 8.4 points and nine rebounds in just 17 minutes of action off the bench.

On the other hand, Gordon inked a minimum $3.3 million deal – a great bargain for the Sixers as the veteran guard remains one of the best shooters in the league.

Last year with the Suns, Gordon shot a healthy 37.8 percent from downtown, posting 11 points, two assists and a steal per game.

Kevin Porter Jr returns to the NBA to join the Clippers 
PHOTO BY: AP

Clippers Reloading

While losing George is hard, the Clippers found their stop-gap solution to the superstar’s departure by signing the controversial Kevin Porter Jr in free agency.

Porter Jr. returns to the NBA after missing the entire season last year as he was knee-deep in his domestic assault case.

Last offseason, the do-it-all guard was arrested on felony domestic charges in an incident involving his girlfriend. A month later, the Rockets traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder who proceeded to waive him, leaving him without a team last season.

This January, Porter Jr. pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and harassment to avoid jail time.

As he was left without an NBA team, the 6-4 guard joined PAOK BC in Greece where, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, he impressed multiple NBA squads with his strong play.

In his last season with the Rockets, Porter Jr. put up solid averages of 19.2 points, 5.3 boards and 5.7 assists as their starting guard.