The NBA has suspended Paul George for 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy. The suspension was announced Saturday morning and will go into effect immediately, starting with Saturday’s game against the Pelicans.
George released a statement addressing the suspension, explaining that over the past few years he has been seeking treatment for his mental health and during that time “made the mistake of taking improper medication.” He took full responsibility, apologizing to the Sixers organization, his teammates, and the fans.
George is averaging 16 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists for the Philadelphia 76ers this season, who currently sit sixth in the Eastern Conference at 26-21. The Sixers have won their last two games, including a 32-point performance against the Bucks in which George went 9-for-15 from three. While he won’t miss the entire remainder of the season, he will be sidelined for a significant stretch and won’t return until the final ten games of the regular season.
Financially, this suspension will cost George just under $12 million of his $51 million salary, roughly $450,000 per game. The Sixers just cannot seem to catch a break with him. Last season, George played only 41 games due to a lingering knee injury that carried over into this year and caused him to miss the first 12 games of the season. He still has two years left on his contract, which raises a fair question about how long the Sixers’ leash really is with him.
There is a small silver lining. The suspension will save Philadelphia over $5 million in luxury tax payments, leaving them just about $1 million over the tax threshold and making it much easier to duck the tax once again. Joel Embiid even addressed this earlier in the week, saying he’s aware the team is likely to try to avoid the tax like they have in past seasons, but that he’s “hopeful they keep the same team” and that he “loves all the guys that are here.”
The real question is where do the 76ers go now with no George and the trade deadline closing in? When asked how George’s absence will impact the trade deadline in a press conference, Head Coach Nick Nurse stated, “I don’t know if it will at all,” and deferred to the front office. Realistically, Philadelphia still has Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to lean on, but they are either going to need to make a move or fully buy into Nurse’s “next man up” mentality.
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