Morey’s star-hunting plan ends exactly as he envisioned with Paul George splash

Morey’s star-hunting plan ends exactly as he envisioned with Paul George splash originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

On one hand, the Sixers were sincerely ready to react to whatever chaos in the NBA world unfolded around them.

On the other hand … they wanted a star wing. Paul George, for instance.

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey got just what he desired, securing a wee-hours star deal (is there any other kind?) Monday morning. George has agreed to sign a four-year, $212 million contract and become a Sixer.

This sort of news is not the norm for Sixers fans, who six years ago heard interim general manager and head coach Brett Brown declare the team was “star hunting.” None came to Philadelphia that summer, although Jimmy Butler eventually landed in November. The Sixers are accustomed to such dealmaking being necessary. Elton Brand’s five-year free-agent contract in 2008 is a rare example of a big name choosing the Sixers.

Now the Sixers’ general manager, Brand himself would tell you that George has the loftier résumé; he earned his ninth career All-Star nod last year. As they did 16 years ago with Brand, the Sixers pounced when the Clippers decided against making George a satisfactory offer.

L.A.’s firm, anti-four-year stance is not random. The Clippers have plainly stated that the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement guided their approach. Extended, excessive, bad contracts are indeed especially damaging these days, since going over the second tax apron is highly restrictive.

Morey has been well-aware of all that.

“A lot of our moves are for planning in the new CBA environment, which I think is very impactful,” he said in February, “and setting ourselves up for those big moves in the future. … There are all these new rules coming in — limits your draft picks, limits your abilities in free agency. All these things are coming. We’re the best set up of any of those teams that are contenders, by a good margin.”

In terms of having the cap space to acquire a max-contract star, Morey’s assessment was spot-on. Outside of in-house All-Stars Joel Embiid and…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/moreys-star-hunting-plan-ends-110331927.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-07-01 11:03:31

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