Sixers projected lineup after Paul George free agent contract and Tyrese Maxey extension

In a matter of hours, the 76ers agreed to pay out about half a billion dollars in contracts in yet another attempt to get past the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2001.

But this time, the Sixers might be best-equipped to do so after they reportedly agreed to sign free agent Paul George to a four-year contract worth $212 million.

George averaged 22.3 points per game last season for the Los Angeles Clippers, and would seem to mesh well with Sixers stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

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In addition, the Sixers are reportedly giving Maxey a maximum extension worth $204 million over five years, re-signing Kelly Oubre Jr. (2 years, $16.3 million), and adding backup center Andre Drummond (2 years, $10 million) and guard Eric Gordon (1 year, $3.3 million veterans minimum).

George, of course, is the linchpin, a marked improvement over Tobias Harris, whose five-year, $180 contract ended in futility with a scoreless Game 6 of the first round against the New York Knicks.

Harris, as it turns out, is reportedly signing a 2-year, $52 million contract with the NBA-worst Detroit Pistons. After all, he can't go scoreless in the playoffs if he's not in the playoffs.

But are the Sixers good enough now to challenge the NBA champion Boston Celtics? Or the Knicks, who added to their Villanova cache by trading for Mikal Bridges?

You remember Bridges, whom the Sixers drafted in the first round in 2018, then traded to the Suns for the forgettable Zhaire Smith, who has flamed out of the NBA.

While George is the best free agent available, there are risks.

That begins with the fact that George is 34 years old, and will be 38 by the end of the contract. Sure, George had a strong season with the Clippers last season, shooting 41.3% from 3-point range, something the Sixers can definitely use.

But last season was also the first that George played more than 56 games (he played 74) since signing with the Clippers in 2019.

Combine that with Joel Embiid's lengthy injury history, and you can see how quickly this could backfire. Embiid, as dominant as he is, has never played more than 68 games in a season. He averaged a career-high 34.7 points per game last season. But he played in just 39 games after needing knee surgery in late January.

Then again, the Sixers were challenging the Celtics for Eastern Conference supremacy before Embiid got hurt. Of course, that fell apart quickly without him for 2 months as the Sixers dropped to the No. 7 seed, needing to win a play-in game to make the playoffs.

And Embiid was still not 100% in the postseason.

So sure, maybe this is the year that Embiid is healthy for the playoffs. And if that's the case, then adding George (and assuming George stays healthy) to a lineup that includes Embiid and Maxey makes the Sixers better than they were last year.

And that would give the Sixers their stongest team since 2019 when Jimmy Butler was the third star to Embiid and the pre-head case Ben Simmons. Of course, that season ended in the second round, too.

Those are a lot of ifs. But at least the Sixers have given themselves a chance.

Sixers projected starting lineup:

Joel Embiid, C

Paul George, PF

Kelly Oubre, Jr., SF

Tyrese Maxey, G

Eric Gordon, G

Analysis: George can help space the floor and give Embiid even more room after Embiid averaged a career-high 34.7 points per game last season.

The Drummond signing is an underrated move by the Sixers. As a backup center, Drummond can provide much more off the bench than either Paul Reed or Mo Bamba did in the playoffs. Drummond averaged 9 rebounds in only 17 minutes per game last season with Chicago.

Drummond was with the Sixers in 2021-22, averaging 8.8 rebounds in 18 minutes per game. But he was part of the package the Sixers sent to Brooklyn in the James Harden-Ben Simmons trade.

The Sixers could still add a guard that will enable Gordon, who's 35, to provide scoring off the bench. It's possible that first-round pick Jared McCain becomes that player later in the season, although pairing the 6-2 McCain with Maxey could become a defensive liability.

None of that will matter, of course, if Embiid and George can't stay healthy.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.