4. Philadelphia 76ers
Along with the Los Angeles Lakers, it seems as if the 76ers are in the running for nearly every major free agent this summer. Can you blame them? They’ve trusted the process and gotten this far, now it’s time to complete the process with a major addition to a young, talented roster. Rookie Ben Simmons and star Joel Embiid carried the team to the franchise’s best season in a while, but they want to get better. The Sixers are one of the NBA’s best teams, but they need to get better if they want to compete with the likes of Golden State, Houston and Boston.
What better way to do so than adding Paul George. Obviously, the Sixers are going all in for LeBron James. However, George isn’t a bad consolation prize. Of all of his four major suitors, Philadelphia seems the least likely, but it’s still a possibility. George would bring a lot to the team, on and off the court. The 28-year-old would bring veteran leadership and knowledge to young stars like Embiid and Simmons. He’d join the big three, but bring something the other two don’t — three point shooting. Neither Embiid or Simmons are great three point shooters, Simmons didn’t make a single three all season, but George is lethal from downtown when on his game. His jump shot and ability to take over games would unleash a different beast to add to the Sixers’ arsenal.
Whether or not they could beat the Celtics and top the East with George on the team is yet to be known. However, one thing is certain, the addition of the five-time All-Star would drastically improve their chances.