4. 76ers preferred offer
Daryl Morey made a massive splash in 2012 when he traded for Oklahoma City’s sixth man James Harden. The Beard quickly became a superstar, and the duo has had an outstanding relationship ever since. Morey left Houston in 2020 and Harden quickly followed. He traded for the ten-time All-Star in 2022, but the relationship is strained after Morey refused to give The Beard a massive extension this summer.
The 76ers are not against trading Harden, but they have a more important concern. If they deal him for draft capital, Joel Embiid could request a trade and quickly send Philadelphia into a total rebuild. Morey cannot mess this up. He needs to get a significant haul for Harden, which is why the Sixers likely start with this offer.
George has a $48.7 million player option for next season and is extension eligible. The 76ers could extend him now and lock in an elite wing next to Joel Embiid if they can get the Clippers to bite on trading PG.
Morey will point to George’s health issues as the reason why the two should be of equal value. The 76ers have to throw in some money to make the math work, but the Clippers are unlikely to have interest in this. They want to contend as they enter a new arena in 2024-25. That likely means keeping Leonard and George and trying to build around their two stars.
The LA Clippers would likely counter with an offer that better suits their needs.