Will Philadelphia, which recruited Paul George, run to the championship?

The Philadelphia 76ers had a big disappointment this season. They started poorly. Veteran guard James Harden (34, 196 centimeters), who had been playing one-two punch with star player Joel Embiid (30, 213 centimeters) even before the opening of the season, expressed discontent with the team, driving the mood in a chaotic manner. Notably, he complained a lot about Daryl Morey, and he didn’t hesitate to take a shot publicly.

When President Mori brought in Harden, the story that he guaranteed the Max contract in the 2023-24 season after the paycut contract, but he broke the promise is gaining convincing power. It was certainly uncommon for Harden to jump that far in a situation where he could also lose money. In the meantime, Montrez Harrell had surgery for a ruptured right anterior cruciate ligament and was virtually out of the season, putting the team on alert. 동행복권파워볼

Somehow, the team had to reorganize its power. For now, the priority had to be to clean up Harden who crossed the river where they couldn’t get back to each other. However, the trade was stalled because Harden was insisting that it was the Los Angeles Clippers. The team did its best and eventually traded James Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Philip Petrusev for Nikola Batum, Robert Covington, Marcus Morris Sr., and Kenyon Martin Jr. on Oct. 30, just after the opening of the season.

Harden’s departure was feared to leave a significant portion of the team’s power, but the vacancy was not as big as expected. Embiid showed constant performance and flew so fast that he was aiming for his second consecutive MVP title, and on top of that, the potential of rising star Tyreece Maxey (24, 188cm) began to explode properly. Rather, some even said that he was stronger than when Harden was in office.

However, in a good mood, Embiid’s injury suffered a major negative effect. On Jan. 31, during an away game with the Golden State Warriors, he collided with Jonathan Kuminga during a ball competition and injured his left knee meniscus. It was such an injury that it was difficult to complete the rest of the regular season. As a result, his team’s performance, which was competing for second and third place in the Eastern Conference, plunged to eighth place at one point.

Embiid also had a lot of regrets. Despite his outstanding skills to the extent that he is aiming for the genealogy of the greatest big man in history, he was considered the No. 2 player by Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets). Against this backdrop, if he wins the MVP award of the regular season from the previous season to this season, it was a golden opportunity to significantly reduce the gap. However, he was disqualified due to lack of play due to injury.

The Philadelphia Phillies were busy trying to win when Embiid was in his prime. Midway through the season, they brought in Buddy Hield from Indiana in exchange for Marcus Morris Sr., Furkan Kokmaz, three second-round picks, and cash. Kyle Lowry, who had not played for Charlotte since then, was traded after a buyout. In March, he signed a 10-day temporary contract with Kai Jones, who did not have a team after being released from Charlotte.

In the midst of some crisis, Philadelphia eventually finished seventh in the East and made it to the playoffs through the play-in tournament. However, that was it. Embiid was out of form after returning from injury and ended the season with a 4-2 loss to the New York Knicks in the first round. It’s only a family, but if Embiid had been healthy, he would likely have been the strongest East opponent to threaten the Boston Celtics.

The Philadelphia Phillies are still eager to win the title even in the off-season. After failing to catch Tobias Harris, who was highly paid, he was able to afford salary and signed a five-year contract extension with Maxi, the team’s present and future. Although his contract with Nicolas Batum failed, he added Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon, and successfully renewed his contract with Cali Ubre Jr.

Most of all, there were many opinions that another support group was needed to help Embiid and Maxi One-Two Punch, but it is evaluated that they filled the pieces perfectly by recruiting forward Paul George (33, 203cm). The contract period is four years and the size is up to $212 million (about 292.9 billion won). There were various rumors of recruitment, including LeBron James and Jimmy Butler, but it was finally with George.

After this season, George was able to exercise 48.78 million U.S. dollars in player options. Then, he would be able to play for his current team until next season. However, George chose to become an FA instead of exercising options. Many teams including Golden State showed interest in George who was on the market. Above all, his ability to combine offense and defense was very attractive.

He may be regrettable as an ace, but he is an excellent resource as a piece of a strong team. In the end, Philadelphia, the most aggressive team, embraced George and completed the big three with good balance. When Philadelphia signed him, it included player options for the final year, just like the Clippers did. The contract period is also four years long. Unless something unexpected happens, George will actually spend his last heyday with the Philadelphia Phillies.

As mentioned earlier, Embiid has a strong image of No. 2 because he plays in the same era as Jokic, even though he has the possibility of being listed in the all-time center genealogy. Even so, even though he has missed individual titles so far, he must lead his team to a final championship like Jokic so that he can catch up to some level.

The situation is very good. Unlike Jokic Denver, which has been sighed by continued weakening of its power since the victory, Philadelphia is striving to reinforce its power to its fullest. After years of Butler and Harden, it even brought in George. With such support, Embiid also needs to show something. Let’s see if Philadelphia, which is thirsty for a win, will be able to show off its performance in the next season.