Paul George is playing far better now that his 25-game suspension is over, but the clock on his Philadelphia future is still ticking. He will turn 36 in three weeks, and the money attached to the end of his deal only gets bigger from there.
George is scheduled to make more than $54.1 million in 2026-27, then could pick up a player option worth more than $56.5 million the season after that. If he plays the Sixers' remaining 10 games, he will have appeared in 78 of 164 possible regular-season games since arriving in Philadelphia. That is the number that matters most: a star who has been better lately, but whose availability has been limited by injuries and by the missed quarter of this season.
The upside is obvious. George has looked more spry and healthy than he has in nearly two full seasons with the Sixers, and that is part of why Philadelphia has a decision to make. His contract is now about 14 months away from becoming one of the largest expiring deals in NBA history, which changes how front offices can view him even as he approaches 36.
Last summer, the Sixers would have had a far harder time moving that salary. Now the deal is a two-year contract, and that gives Philadelphia more room to work if it decides to sell high on George while his recent play still looks useful. Even then, teams may still wonder whether he would be worth the salary attached to him, even in a season where he gets to 70 games. That is the tension around him now: the play has improved, but the value question has not gone away.
For the Sixers, the next step is not about whether George can flash form for another night or two. It is about whether a player with this injury history, this age curve and this contract can still bring back something meaningful before the deal reaches the point where nearly everyone else starts treating it like a problem rather than an asset.
