From the Sixers landing Paul George to Tyrese Maxey getting paid to Tobias Harris leaving Philly, here’s how everyone reacted
George agreed to join the Sixers a four-year max deal. Here's how fans reacted to that, Maxey's contract, and Harris signing in Detroit.
At 3:30 a.m. Monday, Paul George reportedly agreed to sign with the 76ers. 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 for most of Philadelphia — including one of George’s new teammates, Tyrese Maxey.
Joel Embiid spent much of the day posting on X about England’s quarterfinal match in the Euros, in which Jude Bellingham, who plays for one of Embiid’s favorite clubs, Real Madrid, scored the game-winner against Slovakia.
But, Embiid tried to tweet as vaguely as possible, seemingly to imply the Sixers had made a big addition when in reality, it was about Bellingham, or Harry Kane. Unlike Maxey, Embiid was up late, posting at 2:07 a.m. that he wanted to keep trolling.
Just over an hour later, George was a Sixer.
Fans were excited about the newest Sixers star.
Some analysts were concerned about the length of George’s deal, since George is 34 years old. But most agreed it was a big swing that improves the Sixers’ NBA title chances.
To cap off the exciting morning, The Inquirer confirmed that Maxey will sign a five-year extension with the Sixers on Monday, locking in the new core group.
A lot of fans took note of the date — July 1, which is also Mike Muscala’s birthday. Muscala hit back-to-back three-pointers for the Thunder in a game, which ultimately locked in their pick for the Sixers, who took Maxey.
Fans and analysts also praised Maxey for being willing to wait for a max extension, which ultimately gave the Sixers the salary-cap space to bring in George.
Tobias Harris is set to sign a two-year, $52 million deal with the Detroit Pistons, officially leaving the Sixers after more than five seasons. Fans were ... not heartbroken about the news.