Renowned sportswriter and critic Bill Simmons recently discussed the future of the Philadelphia 76ers. Getting eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the 76ers would be looking to revamp their roster going into the 2024-25 NBA season. But when talking about Paul George as a possible recruit, Simmons could not help but answer that with a sarcastic question on his show.
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The latest episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast had guests Chris Ryan and Rob Mahoney talk about whether the Philadelphia 76ers need another star like Paul George. And Simmons himself could not fathom this move.
“If I’m Paul George, I just stay in LA, and make a ton of money. I’m from LA, you know. I wouldn’t say that there is a sh*t load of pressure on the Clippers players out here, right? Nice weather every day and I have an awesome house.”
Bill Simmons wasn’t in favor of Paul George moving on from the Los Angeles Clippers to join the Philadelphia 76ers in the upcoming season. He felt that George did not have any upside of leaving LA and going elsewhere.
Given that PG-13 is a Los Angeles native, there did not seem to be a point for him to leave his hometown. On top of that, George has the opportunity to earn more money in LA than he does in Philly.
Another reason why Bill Simmons believes that Paul George should not join the 76ers is due to their fanbase. He mentioned how the 76ers fanbase is one of the most hostile fanbases in the NBA and they are quick to pin the blame on their players the minute things go wrong.
Simmons also sarcastically added that George would only give up on LA if the Kawhi Leonard situation does not get more clarity. So, in order to be more sure, he would go up and join forces with Joel Embiid, who is as injury-prone as Leonard is.
Should Paul George consider moving on from LA?
Paul George currently has one year left on his four-year/$221 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. George has the advantage to pick up the player option in his contract and choose to stay in LA and then seek an extension. So, there does not seem to be any upside for George to leave Los Angeles, especially after the season they just had.
Even Skip Bayless agreed that the Clippers front office should retain all of their stars, including Paul George as well.
The Los Angeles Clippers finished fourth overall in the Western Conference with a 51-31 overall record. Given that they were eliminated in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, the team still has a chance to make a deep playoff run in the upcoming seasons.
Also taking into consideration that the Clippers will be moving into their new arena, losing their star players is bound to affect ticket sales, and letting PG go would not be working in their favor going forward.
