NBA free agency: Pros and cons of Paul George signing; grades for Philly's big move; what's next for the Sixers?

De’Anthony Melton is leaving the Sixers, agreeing to a one-year, $12.8 million contract with the Golden State Warriors, according to multiple reports.

The new deal offers the 26-year-old Melton a chance to re-establish himself with a new team, after his 2023-24 season was derailed by a spine issue. Before that, he had moved into the starting backcourt after the James Harden blockbuster trade, and was ranking among the league leaders in steals and deflections while averaging a career-best 11.1 points. But he only played in eight games after Dec. 30, with multiple setbacks following attempts to return.

This new deal, however, is still a raise on the $8 million Melton made last season. And it comes after the Warriors reportedly lost legend Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks, and missed out on the opportunity to trade for Paul George before the Sixers agreed to sign the perennial All-Star wing to a four-year, $212 million max deal.

Nico Batum has agreed to a two-year, $9.6 million deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, according to ESPN.

Batum’s departure means the Sixers lose a valued veteran forward. The 35-year-old provided outside shooting, defensive versatility, reliable under-the-radar skills such as post-entry and inbounds passing, and a calm demeanor. He averaged 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 60 games for the Sixers last season, and said he enjoyed playing in Philly more than he expected.

That reported salary is likely far more than the Sixers could have offered Batum, after Paul George agreed to come to Philly on a four-year max contract early Monday morning. Landing George is also probably a reason the Clippers were able to pursue Batum at that number.

The Tobias Harris era in Philly is officially over.

The power forward has agreed to a two-year contract worth at least $52 million to return to the Detroit Pistons, sources confirmed to The Inquirer.

The 31-year-old spent five and a half seasons with the Sixers after being acquired via a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 6, 2019. He signed a five-year, $180 million deal with the Sixers that expired at the conclusion of this season.

Maybe it’s a Harden hangover.

Maybe it’s the fact that nearly $900 million worth of 30-something Phillies either are injured or are nursing injuries: Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, and Taijuan Walker.

Maybe it’s just that I never thought Paul George was all that good.

Another thing you need to know about Paul George? He’s a podcaster. Podcast P with Paul George is one of the most popular NBA podcasts out there, with 731,000 subscribers on YouTube. He frequently brings on guests including NBA players, NBA legends, media personalities like Stephen A. Smith and even Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.

George started his podcast in March 2023 because he felt like his story was going untold. He said in his introductory episode that he hoped to use the podcast to show the fans more of his personality.

“I just feel like my story is not being told,” George said. “People have this perception of who I am. It’s a way for me to give back to fans and to people that don’t know who I am, give them insight into who I am, so it became intriguing at this point in my career.”

At 3:30 a.m., Paul George reportedly agreed to sign with the Sixers. Fans had been anticipating the move for days, but expectations soared after the Clippers announced Sunday that George would not be returning to the team.

But the initial post from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski came astonishingly early. The 3:30 a.m. report was far too early — or late, depending on your schedule — for most of Philadelphia, including one of George’s new teammates, Tyrese Maxey.

Joel Embiid spent much of the day posting on X about England’s quarterfinal match in the Euros, in which Jude Bellingham, who plays for one of Embiid’s favorite clubs, Real Madrid, scored the game-winner against Slovakia.

Tyrese Maxey has agreed to a five-year, $204 million max contract extension with the 76ers, a source confirmed to The Inquirer Monday morning.

This news comes on the heels of the Sixers’ free-agency splash to land perennial All-Star forward Paul George on a four-year, $212 max deal. They will team up with 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid to create a formidable trio that the Sixers hope can challenge the newly crowned NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Maxey had to patiently wait for this extension, which he was eligible to sign last summer. But pushing the move until now gave Maxey a smaller $13 million cap hold, allowing the Sixers the space to offer George the maximum salary.

Paul George agreed to sign with the Sixers early Monday. The former Clippers, Thunder, and Pacers forward inked a four-year, $212 million maximum contract to come to Philadelphia alongside Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.

George, who will be 38 when the deal ends and has his fair share of skeptics among Sixers fans, has long been the Sixers’ most-coveted target this free agency cycle. Here’s why:

In 2023-24, George averaged 22.6 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game and 3.5 assists per game, shooting a career-best 41.3% from three-point range. In 2022-23 he averaged 23.8 points per game, in 2021-22 he averaged 24.3 points per game, and in 2020-21 he averaged 23.3 points per game.

Give Daryl Morey credit. You may not like the game that he plays, but he plays it better than anybody in the National Basketball Association. It is a game where regrets can be indefinitely postponed, where downstream risks are upstream opportunities, where the future is no less uncertain a place when prioritized over the present. It is a counterintuitive game, one that forsakes many of the fundamental tenets of traditional roster-building. It is also a game that has consistently delivered to the Sixers a better chance at a championship than they had the year before. This year will be no different.

Forget the risks, for a moment. Forget the multitude of ways this can blow up in their face. Forget the age of the player, forget his motivations for signing, forget the challenge of filling out a roster with three massive salaries and little room to maneuver. In Paul George, who agreed to sign a four-year, $212 million contract on Monday morning, the Sixers have added a player who offers them a chance at winning a title. No other avenue would have allowed them to say as much.

That’s the key point. It is a philosophical one. Is signing George a good move? It depends on your definition of good. In fact, it depends on whether you even believe in the concept of “good” in the first place. In Morey’s world, “good” is just another word for “not the best.” It is a middle-ground that distracts from the zero-sum reality of chasing a championship. Good is not an objective. It is a consolation prize, a coping mechanism. Good is the refuge of leaders who cannot handle the zero-sum reality of chasing a championship. It is an artificial construct created by those who need a more attainable objective than becoming the best.

Daryl Morey said this is how he would attack the 76ers’ pivotal offseason.

The lead executive pushed back during his end-of-season news conference when questioned about the age of the stars expected to be available on the free-agent market, and the risks of signing one to a lengthy max contract. He stood firm when asked if the three-star model was still the most viable in the modern NBA — especially under new CBA rules that severely limit the roster-building flexibility of teams that spend too much.

“Get studs,” Morey said, " … Then, you can put the work and the onus on the front office to find the players that fit around it.”

The Paul George sweepstakes are over and the 76ers have secured their next superstar trio.

George agreed early Monday morning to a four-year, $212 million contract to join the Sixers, according to sources. He has a player option for the final year. This comes after the nine-time All-Star declined his $48.7 million option for next season with the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

The unrestricted free agent was then scheduled to meet with the Sixers, Clippers and Orlando Magic in L.A. after Sunday’s 6 p.m. start of free agency. In a late meeting with the Sixers, George and his agent, Aaron Mintz, met with managing partner Josh Harris, team president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, general manager Elton Brand, and Hall of Famer Julius Erving.

While the world waited hours to get word about George and other big-name free agents, the Sixers made a splashes on the first nicght of free-ageny. They welcomed back Andre Drummond, who was arguably the best backup center in the Joel Embiid era. The Sixers also added Eric Gordon, a veteran perimeter player the Sixers coveted for two years. And they’ll re-sign Kelly Oubre Jr.

Drummond agreed to a two-year, $10 million contract to play for the Sixers, according to sources. He’ll have a player option on the second year, a source said. Meanwhile, sources says Gordon has agreed a one-year $3.3 million veteran minimum contract. And Oubre will receive a two-year, $16.3 million deal with a player-option for the second year, a source said. Players can sign their NBA free agent contracts after 12:01 p.m. on July 6.

Drummond basically confirmed his return to Philly by posting “I’m in the mood for a Philly cheesesteak” on X (formerly known as Twitter). The 6-foot-11, 279-pounder played for the Sixers during the 2021-22 seasons before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He spent the past two seasons with the Chicago Bulls. During his prime years, Drummond was a two-time All-Star, four-time rebounding champion, and All-NBA selection with the Detroit Pistons.