Paul George‘s debut season with the Philadelphia 76ers was far from perfect. He struggled to make an impact on the court and had his season cut short due to injury. And, as we all know, the Sixers free-fell out of the playoff picture and into the lottery.
Unfortunately for the Sixers, George wasn’t the only player to struggle with injuries last season. Nick Nurse’s top three talents all had early endings to their respective seasons, while multiple role players missed chunks of time.
Nevertheless, George’s first impression on the fanbase wasn’t ideal. In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Grant Hughes proposed a trade that could see George move teams before the start of the new season, giving both him and the franchise a clean break. In return, the Sixers would acquire Lauri Markkanen as part of the trade idea.
Bailey’s full trade proposal would look like this:
Sixers Get: Lauri Markkanen
Utah Jazz Get: Paul George and a 2028 first-round draft pick via the LA Clippers
“Depending on how things go with George’s health, the Sixers could use this pick as a sweetener in a trade that exchanges his salary for a smaller one—or for a player with a better health outlook,” Hughes wrote.
George, 35, would represent a pivot in direction for the Jazz. However, the ability to add a potentially high-value future first-round draft pick may be too good for Danny Ainge to pass up. Furthermore, George would be an ideal mentor for recent draft addition Ace Bailey.
Markkanen Would Make Sense For Sixers
Another reason why Daryl Morey could potentially show interest in a deal like the one Hughes is proposing is that Markkanen, 28, could possibly fit a younger timeline. Philadelphia currently boasts an exciting young guard trio of Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe.
Markkanen’s ability to stretch the floor, work as a pick-and-pop threat, and mix it up in the mid-range would give the Sixers a new level of spacing to build around. Furthermore, if he could stay healthy, Joel Embiid would have additional spacing to work with, making his life easier on the interior and around the perimeter.
Despite spending last summer being linked with a move to the Golden State Warriors, Markkanen inked a four-year contract extension with the Utah Jazz. That deal kicks in this season, so the Sixers would have him under control until the summer of 2029, as there is no player option in his $195.8 million deal.
George Was Frustrated With Debut Sixers Season
During a recent episode of his “Podcast P with Paul George,” the veteran All-Star shared his frustrations.
“I came in healthy,” George said. “I didn’t have any hiccups; I spent the whole offseason working on my body, getting healthy. Then I get to Philly. Preseason, I get hurt…I didn’t have my burst. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t pin what it was…So I started taking medicine to numb it up. Then I had an injury I didn’t even know about. That’s when I found out I had a torn adductor. That whole time, I just couldn’t move.”
George suited up for 41 games last season. He averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting 43% from the field. Unfortunately for the veteran forward, he underwent surgery earlier this summer. As such, he may not be healthy to begin the new campaign.
Of course, Sixers fans will just be hoping that once he’s back on the court, he can remain healthy. Otherwise, deals like the one Hughes proposed in his article will become incredibly enticing.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Proposed Trade Flips Sixers’ Paul George For Former Most Improved Player appeared first on Heavy Sports.