Daryl Morey has a lot of decisions to make this summer. The Philadelphia 76ers’ capitulation throughout the 2024-25 season has left significant questions over the viability of their current roster construction.
Paul George‘s future is among the biggest questions facing the Sixers. His debut season in Philadelphia was a disaster. As such, Morey can either look to trade the All-Star forward or double down in the hopes that he bounces back strong in the next campaign.
During a recent episode of “The Zach Lowe Show” podcast, the veteran NBA analyst floated a trade idea that would swap George for a young forward full of upside and potential. The trade idea looked like this:
Sixers Get: Franz Wagner
Orlando Magic Get: Paul George and the third pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
Simmons was quick to move on from the topic, but did note that Wagner would be the type of younger talent the Sixers would likely explore moving George for. However, Joel Embiid‘s current contract would mean the franchise is hamstrung in terms of embracing a rebuilding process with Tyrese Maxey and potentially Wagner leading the charge.
Nevertheless, Simmons point did illustrate the Philadelphia likely has some options, should it choose to move on from George at some point this summer.
76ers’ Morey Hopes George Can Bounce Back
In a recent appearance on “The Mike Missanelli Show” on 97.5 The Fanatic, Morey shared his opinion of George’s debut season.
“That, obviously, wasn’t his best year,” Morey said. “He would come out and say that himself. I think he may have done that. We believe he’ll bounce back. He was an elite defender. Offensively, he was brought in to be part of a unit with elite play on the wing defensively, space the floor on offense, with Joel and Tyrese, and we believe that can still work. Obviously, we haven’t really had much of a look at that. Even when they were healthy guys, certain guys would leave the game, or Joel was not 100% where he needed to be. So we have not seen that at this point.”
George played in 41 games for the Sixers. He averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists, shooting 43% from the field and 35.8% from 3-point range.
George Has Also Addressed Tough Season With 76ers
During a recent interview with Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, George addressed his far-from-ideal debut season with the Sixers.
“To be honest, it was one of the toughest seasons for me. Just with a lot of adversity on the court, off the court,” George said. “The injury stuff … was some stuff I didn’t necessarily know I had going on until deep diving and finding out. There was other stuff I didn’t know that was causing my limitations, which was frustrating — not being able to do things I normally could do, and finding out the reason why. Those things are being addressed, so that’s the positive.”
Landing a player of Wagner’s caliber and upside in a deal for George is likely a pipe dream. The veteran forward’s trade value is arguably at an all-time low. As such, it makes sense for George and the Sixers to commit to another season of their partnership. After all, if he and Embiid can stay healthy, Nick Nurse could have a contending roster on his hands.
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