NBA free agency is coming. What does that mean for the Sixers?

The clock will hit 6 p.m. on June 30, and all of the back-channel discussions, the data-driven models, and speculations will converge into action.

Squads will transform. Players will relocate. Money will be spent. Dream teams will get built. Hope will sprout at the start of NBA free agency.

It’s hard to know exactly at this moment how it will play out. Separating rumor from fact during the last week of May is almost as difficult as building a championship franchise. And as we learned last with James Harden, things can change in a flash. But we have an informed idea as to how it could end up for the 76ers, who are pursuing a third star to mesh with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

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Their desire to sign Paul George is well-known, as has been written about countless times. The Sixers believe they have a real chance of signing the nine-time All-Star.

The Los Angeles Clippers forward has a player option for the 2024-25 season worth $48.8 million and can become an unrestricted free agent if he and the Clippers are unable to agree on an extension before June 30.

According to league sources, Los Angeles was unwilling to offer George more than the three-year, $152.3 million extension it gave to Kawhi Leonard. However, the 34-year-old is eligible to receive a four-year, $221 million contract.

The Sixers and other suitors can offer a four-year, $212 million contract. The Clippers are holding out hope that George, a Southern California native, will take less money to remain close home.

We’ll find out in a little over a month what George is willing to do if Los Angeles doesn’t meet his asking price.

The Sixers do have their eyes on other lucrative-salary impact players just in case they don’t get George. That’s why they also are looking at potential free agents like the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby. If not in free agency, the Sixers believe they can use their draft assets and available cap space to acquire a difference-maker via a trade. That has led to Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, and New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram being among trade interests.

But the Sixers must ask themselves how star-level players will adapt to playing alongside Embiid and Maxey. Look at Tobias Harris — being the third star in Philly hasn’t exactly gone well for him.

But the Sixers believe George is the ideal fit for a team on which Embiid and Maxey will remain the go-to scorers.

In addition to being a perennial All-Star, he is a six-time All-NBA selection and a four-time All-Defensive pick. The 6-foot-8, 220-pounder averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals this season. He shot a career-best 41.3% on three-pointers in what was his 14th season.

The Sixers aren’t concerned that George will have a tough time coexisting with Embiid and Maxey because of his history of playing alongside other elite players. As an Indiana Pacer, George teamed up with two-time All-Star center Roy Hibbert. Then he and Russell Westbrook had a solid All-Star tandem in Oklahoma City. And this past season, he played alongside future Hall of Famers Leonard, Harden, and Westbrook.

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George also is in a phase of his career where he just wants to win. In addition to that, the Sixers believe the solid passer can help with some of the ballhandling duties.

But that’s where James definitely would help out. The four-time MVP would have found a way to get Buddy Hield more involved in the first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks.

The ball would have been in his hands instead of Embiid’s. The ball-dominant center had nine turnovers in Game 5 and averaged 4.2 during the series.

And in regard to committing to three star-level players opposed to just building around Embiid and Maxey, the Sixers feel the data shows teams with three elite players go further in the postseason and win the title more often.

That’s why they’re targeting star-level players who they believe can catapult them to the top of the Eastern Conference.

There have been several headlines recently regarding their chances of signing George. Their odds vary depending on when the article appears.

One day, George is expected to remain a Clipper. A few days later, reporters are sure he has all but packed his bags to Philadelphia. That’s followed by speculation that George is only using the Sixers for leverage.

Who truly knows outside of George and his inner circle? Not paying him will be gamble for a Clippers team moving into a new arena, especially with Leonard’s inability to remain healthy. The six-time All-Star has missed multiple games with injuries in the last three postseasons.

Will Los Angeles ultimately feel forced to pay George what he wants knowing his team value has risen because of the uncertainty surrounding Leonard’s availability?

We’ll have a better idea of what’s actually going to happen toward the end of next month.