When Paul George agreed to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, Daryl Morey accomplished his goal of acquiring another All-Star player to join Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. But Morey concedes the plan they put in place more than a year ago was an unlikely one with the odds of success at less than 50 percent.
“We were taking what we thought was the best plan to keep ourselves in title contention, but it definitely was a risky plan,” Morey told The Athletic. “They don’t always work out, but we felt like all the other plans were worse.”
Players of George’s caliber typically re-sign with their incumbent teams for the most money available, but the LA Clippers changed direction and suddenly were more cautious in their negotiations than they had been previously. This opened up a window for the Sixers to sign George in free agency.
“It was definitely risky, yeah, but it was also the best plan,” Morey said. “A risky plan doesn’t mean it’s a bad plan. It just could be the best plan. It was definitely the best plan.”