The arrival of 9-time All-Star Paul George was supposed to position the Philadelphia 76ers as a serious title contender. Instead, the opposite happened in the 2024-25 season as George averaged just 17.0 points per game after 28 outings, his lowest point production since his sophomore season in 2011-12.
In light of George’s struggles, Sporting News’ Matt John suggested a trade that would send George back to his native of Los Angeles after his five-year stint with the Clippers. The proposed three-team Lakers trade would see the 76ers acquire All-Star guard Zach LaVine and the rebuilding Bulls acquire a haul of players and assets.
Sixers would receive: Zach LaVine, Jarred Vanderbilt, and a top-10 protected 2029 first-round draft pick
Lakers would receive: Paul George and a 2028 second-round draft pick
Bulls would receive: Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Max Christie, Kenyon Martin Jr., Jalen Hood-Schifino, and a 2027 second-round draft pick
Should Lakers Trade for George?
Another analyst argued that George would be motivated to rediscover his All-Star form while playing for his hometown franchise, and would benefit from playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
“The Lakers would be giving up a massive haul for George, with Christie being the biggest piece,” wrote Matt Levine of Newsweeek. “Los Angeles values Christie a lot but to add a player of the caliber of George would help their title quest this season. Los Angeles doesn’t have many more years with the duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis so bringing George in maximizes everything. It would be a gamble but the Lakers have always been about star players throughout their history.”
The writer further explained why the Sixers stand to benefit from the acquisition of LaVine, who’s in the middle of a career year with the Bulls.
“It has been a nightmare season for the 76ers with injuries and it’s starting to look like a lost year,” Levine wrote. “The 76ers brought in George to compete for a title and it has backfired so far. Moving on from him frees Philadelphia from his long contract. But they do land LaVine to keep them competitive and they also get an additional first-round draft pick to use down the line.”
“This deal isn’t perfect for the 76ers and the likelihood that they give up on George this quickly is low. But in the NBA, nothing is ever off the table. ”
When P3-13 Wanted to Be a Laker
It’s worth noting that George, 34, previously had multiple opportunities to don a Lakers jersey, but the stars never aligned for him. In July 2017, George admittedly asked the Pacers to trade him to the Lakers but was instead shipped to Oklahoma City. George confirmed his rumored request in a 2019 interview with ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.
Since the Lakers did not attempt to trade for George, the latter decided to snub the Purple and Gold franchise as a free agent in 2018. Instead, he decided to re-sign with Russell Westbrook’s Thunder.
“The reason why I didn’t [take a meeting with the Lakers] is that coming down to free agency I felt really good where I was at,” George told USA Today in July 2018. “I felt I was in a good place with Oklahoma. I wanted to come back to L.A. That story was true. The narrative on that was true.
“That’s where my heart was. But this year, being in Oklahoma, I felt really good about the situation, I felt really good going forward, and I didn’t want to waste nobody’s time and take a meeting …. I felt great where we were at, so I decided to do it early, to get it over with, and start to build.”
In 2019, the Thunder traded George to the Clippers as part of a blockbuster deal involving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a record haul of first-round picks.
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