Sixers veteran forward Paul George has been suspended without pay for 25 games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program, the league announced (Twitter link). George’s suspension will begin with Saturday’s game against the Pelicans.
George won’t be eligible to play until Philadelphia’s last 10 games of the season. His earliest return date is March 25 against Chicago.
In a statement to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link), George claimed that he took an “improper medication” to deal with his mental health issues.
“Over the past few years, I’ve discussed the importance of mental health, and in the course of recently seeking treatment for an issue of my own, I made the mistake of taking an improper medication,” the statement read. “I take full responsibility for my actions and apologize to the Sixers organization, my teammates and the Philly fans for my poor decision making during this process. I am focused on using this time to make sure that my mind and body are in the best condition to help the team when I return.”
The suspension will have a huge impact in a variety of ways, most obviously on the Sixers’ drive to finish in the top six in the East and stay out of the play-in tournament. They’re currently 26-21, sixth-best in the East.
Another offshoot of the suspension is that Philadelphia will receive a tax variance credit of $5,871,147, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). That will move the Sixers just $1.26MM over the luxury tax, Marks notes (Twitter link), giving them added incentive to shed a little salary at the trade deadline in order to become a non-taxpayer.
While Joel Embiid said this week that he hopes the 76ers won’t prioritize ducking the tax, that was when the team was operating roughly $7MM above the luxury tax line. The equation will likely change now that a minor move involving a non-rotation player – rather than a key contributor like Kelly Oubre Jr. or Quentin Grimes – could get the team below that threshold.
In 27 games this season, George is averaging 16.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per night. The suspension will cost him $11,742,293, per Marks, who observes that George can be moved to the suspended list after the fifth game of the ban. In that scenario, he wouldn’t count toward the 15-man roster during the final 20 games of the suspension, temporarily freeing up an extra roster spot for Philadelphia.
The Sixers signed George to a four-year, maximum-salary contract in the summer of 2024 but it hasn’t gone well so far. George spent most of last season dealing with injuries and the Sixers have tried to manage his persistent knee issues with load management this season.