The Philadelphia 76ers pulled off arguably the biggest free agent coup this offseason when they acquired Paul George on a four-year, $212 million max contract last month.
With the addition of George, the Philadelphia 76ers have a new Big 3 with him, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey. And because they’ve added a couple of good pieces in Eric Gordon, Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson, and Caleb Martin, Philly will be a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference.
Joel Embiid wanted the Paul George deal to happen, especially when he was wooing him on national TV when the two were guests on ESPN ahead of Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
“I can’t stand them. I can’t stand them. I hate Boston. Hopefully, this offseason, we find a way to get better and, you know, add some pieces,” Embiid slyly said with a smile as he panned over at George sitting next to him.
It’s safe to say that Joel Embiid’s pitch worked, and what’s better is that the NBA didn’t fine him for tampering.
Philadelphia 76ers needed an assist from Quincy Pondexter
Speaking on a recent episode of the #thisleague podcast with Chris Haynes and Marc Stein, Quincy Pondexter shared that all he did was to tell his good friend Joel Embiid not to give up on recruiting Paul George.
“There was a time when Joel gave up. He was like ‘There’s no way he’s coming. There’s no way he’s coming to Philly. There’s no chance.’ I called P’s friends and they were like, ‘Q, trust me. He has a great chance. Like, you guys are doing right.’ Joel’s like ‘For real?’, called him back. It’s like ‘Bro, keep recruiting.’” Pondexter said.
A lot had to go right for the Philadelphia 76ers to land Paul George this summer, and the team can thank the nine-year NBA veteran for helping to make it happen.
