NBA free agency: Pros and cons of Paul George signing; grades for Philly's big move; what's next for the Sixers?

De’Anthony Melton is leaving the Sixers, agreeing to a one-year, $12.8 million contract with the Golden State Warriors, according to multiple reports.

The new deal offers the 26-year-old Melton a chance to re-establish himself with a new team, after his 2023-24 season was derailed by a spine issue. Before that, he had moved into the starting backcourt after the James Harden blockbuster trade, and was ranking among the league leaders in steals and deflections while averaging a career-best 11.1 points. But he only played in eight games after Dec. 30, with multiple setbacks following attempts to return.

Nico Batum has agreed to a two-year, $9.6 million deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, according to ESPN.

Batum’s departure means the Sixers lose a valued veteran forward. The 35-year-old provided outside shooting, defensive versatility, reliable under-the-radar skills such as post-entry and inbounds passing, and a calm demeanor. He averaged 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 60 games for the Sixers last season, and said he enjoyed playing in Philly more than he expected.

The Sixers landed the biggest fish of NBA free agency, signing Paul George to a four-year, $212 million deal on Monday. George immediately gives Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey another scoring option as the Sixers look to compete with Boston in the East.

But the George addition to the Sixers the right one? Inquirer columnists’ views differ.

The Tobias Harris era in Philly is officially over.

The power forward has agreed to a two-year contract worth at least $52 million to return to the Detroit Pistons, sources confirmed to The Inquirer.

Maybe it’s a Harden hangover.

Maybe it’s the fact that nearly $900 million worth of 30-something Phillies either are injured or are nursing injuries: Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, and Taijuan Walker.

Another thing you need to know about Paul George? He’s a podcaster. Podcast P with Paul George is one of the most popular NBA podcasts out there, with 731,000 subscribers on YouTube. He frequently brings on guests including NBA players, NBA legends, media personalities like Stephen A. Smith and even Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.

George started his podcast in March 2023 because he felt like his story was going untold. He said in his introductory episode that he hoped to use the podcast to show the fans more of his personality.

At 3:30 a.m., Paul George reportedly agreed to sign with the Sixers. Fans had been anticipating the move for days, but expectations soared after the Clippers announced Sunday that George would not be returning to the team.

But the initial post from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski came astonishingly early. The 3:30 a.m. report was far too early — or late, depending on your schedule — for most of Philadelphia, including one of George’s new teammates, Tyrese Maxey.

Tyrese Maxey has agreed to a five-year, $204 million max contract extension with the 76ers, a source confirmed to The Inquirer Monday morning.

This news comes on the heels of the Sixers’ free-agency splash to land perennial All-Star forward Paul George on a four-year, $212 max deal. They will team up with 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid to create a formidable trio that the Sixers hope can challenge the newly crowned NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Paul George agreed to sign with the Sixers early Monday. The former Clippers, Thunder, and Pacers forward inked a four-year, $212 million maximum contract to come to Philadelphia alongside Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.

George, who will be 38 when the deal ends and has his fair share of skeptics among Sixers fans, has long been the Sixers’ most-coveted target this free agency cycle. Here’s why:

Give Daryl Morey credit. You may not like the game that he plays, but he plays it better than anybody in the National Basketball Association. It is a game where regrets can be indefinitely postponed, where downstream risks are upstream opportunities, where the future is no less uncertain a place when prioritized over the present. It is a counterintuitive game, one that forsakes many of the fundamental tenets of traditional roster-building. It is also a game that has consistently delivered to the Sixers a better chance at a championship than they had the year before. This year will be no different.

Forget the risks, for a moment. Forget the multitude of ways this can blow up in their face. Forget the age of the player, forget his motivations for signing, forget the challenge of filling out a roster with three massive salaries and little room to maneuver. In Paul George, who agreed to sign a four-year, $212 million contract on Monday morning, the Sixers have added a player who offers them a chance at winning a title. No other avenue would have allowed them to say as much.

Daryl Morey said this is how he would attack the 76ers’ pivotal offseason.

The lead executive pushed back during his end-of-season news conference when questioned about the age of the stars expected to be available on the free-agent market, and the risks of signing one to a lengthy max contract. He stood firm when asked if the three-star model was still the most viable in the modern NBA — especially under new CBA rules that severely limit the roster-building flexibility of teams that spend too much.

The Paul George sweepstakes are over and the 76ers have secured their next superstar trio.

George agreed early Monday morning to a four-year, $212 million contract to join the Sixers, according to sources. He has a player option for the final year. This comes after the nine-time All-Star declined his $48.7 million option for next season with the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

Kelly Oubre Jr. is returning to the 76ers, agreeing to a two-year, $16.3 million contract early Monday morning, a source confirmed to The Inquirer. The second year is a player option.

The new deal comes after the athletic wing was one of the Sixers’ pleasant surprises of the 2023-24 season, when he was a late roster addition on a veteran minimum contract. Oubre averaged 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game, proving himself as a capable starter and off-the-bench spark for a playoff team.

While the world waited hours to get word about George and other big-name free agents, the Sixers made a splashes on the first nicght of free-ageny. They welcomed back Andre Drummond, who was arguably the best backup center in the Joel Embiid era. The Sixers also added Eric Gordon, a veteran perimeter player the Sixers coveted for two years. And they’ll re-sign Kelly Oubre Jr.

Drummond agreed to a two-year, $10 million contract to play for the Sixers, according to sources. He’ll have a player option on the second year, a source said. Meanwhile, sources says Gordon has agreed a one-year $3.3 million veteran minimum contract. And Oubre will receive a two-year, $16.3 million deal with a player-option for the second year, a source said. Players can sign their NBA free agent contracts after 12:01 p.m. on July 6.