Sixers agree to terms with Paul George, welcome back Andre Drummond on Day 1 of free agency

It was a matter of when — not if — the 76ers would acquire Paul George in free agency.

On Saturday, sources said the Sixers were the frontrunners to obtain the Los Angeles Clippers free agent. Then on Sunday afternoon, George informed his Clippers teammates that he wasn’t returning to Los Angeles.

But he still had meetings scheduled with the Clippers, Sixers and Orlando Magic — the three winning teams able to provide a maximum salary — in Southern California after free agency began Sunday evening.

The Clippers didn’t gain any ground on their desire to re-sign George, and backed out of pursuing him. Perhaps sensing they had no chance, the Magic gave a chunk of their available cap space to free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

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That left the Sixers as the only landing spot for the nine-time All-Star.

And at around 3:30 a.m. Monday, sources disclosed that George and the Sixers agreed on a four-year, $212 million maximum contract. The deal has a player option in the final year.

The 6-foot-8, 220-pounder finalized the agreement after he and his agent, Aaron Mintz, met with Sixers brass, which included managing partner Josh Harris, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, general manager Elton Brand, and Hall of Famer Julius Erving.

But George wasn’t the only big-time free agent with a meeting scheduled with the Sixers. Sources confirm that former Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson will meet with the Sixers, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Clippers.

And 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.

Drummond basically confirmed his return to Philly by posting “I’m in the mood for a Philly cheesesteak” on X (formerly known as Twitter). The 6-foot-11, 279-pounder played for the Sixers during the 2021-22 seasons before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He spent the past two seasons with the Chicago Bulls. During his prime years, Drummond was a two-time All-Star, four-time rebounding champion, and All-NBA selection with the Detroit Pistons.

The 12-year veteran has career averages of 12.7 points, 12.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, Sixers, Nets and Bulls. Drummond averaged 8.4 points and 9.0 rebounds in just 17.1 minutes last season as Nikola Vučević's backup.

In 49 games as a Sixer, the 30-year-old averaged 6.1 points and 8.8 rebounds in 18.4 minutes. In fact, the team was so pleased they attempted to re-acquire him from Chicago in a trade, sources say. But the deal fell through right before the trade deadline.

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Meanwhile, Sixers president of basketball operation Morey is familiar with Gordon from their time together in Houston. He was the Rockets’ general manager for 13 seasons before being hired as the Sixers’ president of basketball operations in November 2020. Sources say Morey tried to acquire Gordon from the Rockets while shopping Matisse Thybulle, even attempting to get a third team to participate during the 2022 draft.

Houston eventually sent Gordon to the Clippers on Feb. 9, 2023. After being waived by Los Angeles on June 28, 2023, he played for the Phoenix Suns last season. The 35-year-old averaged 11.0 points and shot 37.8% on three-pointers. Gordon has career averages of 15.7 points and 2.8 assists in 886 career games over 16 seasons.

Oubre had signed a one-year veteran-minimum deal for $2.8 million on Sept. 26. But they realized that he played himself out of a minimum-salary contract. The 15.4 points he averaged this past season are tied for the third-most of his nine-year career. The swingman also proved to be a valuable defender.

“I just want to be loved for me,” Oubre said in May of what he’s seeking in free agency. “I don’t know about the business side of it. I mean, I do, but I can’t tell you what I know because I represent myself right now. At the end of the day, I wanna go somewhere where they respect and they love me. It’s been nothing but love here, of course.”

Sources had said that the Sixers wanted to retain him, Nico Batum and Kyle Lowry. However, The Athletic reported Sunday that Batum would not return.

Early Sunday, sources confirmed the Sixers did not extend a qualifying offer to Terquavion Smith. They also did not pick up Jeff Dowtin Jr.’s club option for next season. These moves aren’t surprising as the team has prioritized clearing up cap space for free agency.

Sixers free agent Tobias Harris is also unlikely to return. He has meetings set up in Southern California and has received interest from the Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, and Mavericks.

Harris averaged 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists this past season. The 31-year-old came to the Sixers via a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 6, 2019. Then he signed a five-year, $180 million deal with the Sixers.

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The lucrative deal came with a lot of criticism during his tenure in Philadelphia, and Sixers fans never believed he lived up to the contract. He had some success this season cutting to the basket without the ball while playing off the Embiid and Maxey. It didn’t last.

But George is the main attraction. The Sixers previously inquired about George when they sent James Harden to the Clippers in a Nov. 1 blockbuster trade. Then sources confirmed months later that George would be the team’s No.1 option in free agency. Now, they pair the 34-year-old with All-Stars Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

Join Inquirer beat reporters Gina Mizell and Keith Pompey, as they recap the flurry of initial signings for the Sixers and around the league at noon on Monday.