The Los Angeles Lakers were named a trade landing spot for Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George.
Trading Paul George should not be a priority for the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason but should remain within the realm of possibilities.
The 36-year-old forward's best years in the NBA are clearly behind him, and the reality is he's no longer worth the four-year, $211 million contract he's in the midst of. Still, George offers a blend of leadership, lockdown defense, and secondary scoring that could appeal to a handful of contenders across the league.
ClutchPoints believes one of the teams that could express interest in a blockbuster trade for George is the Los Angeles Lakers, listing them as a landing spot for the nine-time All-Star.
One of the biggest issues with a George-to-L.A. trade would be the return for Philadelphia. The Lakers lack assets, especially those that would benefit a 76ers team still in win-now mode with Joel Embiid at the helm.
Financially, it's tough to find a deal that works, but for the sake of argument, let's analyze how this trade would look for the 76ers and Lakers.
For Philadelphia, freeing themselves of George's ugly contract is a huge win despite his contributions over the last two seasons. He was a key reason the 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics in the first round of this year's playoffs, but outside of that, he's lacked statistics and availability.
He averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 steals on 43.9% shooting and 39.2% shooting from three-point range in 37 appearances in the 2025-2026 regular season.
Whether it would be worthwhile for Philadelphia to trade George to the Lakers would truly come down to what Los Angeles is willing to offer in return.
This trade doesn't make a ton of sense for the Lakers either, especially if LeBron James departs or retires this offseason. The focus for them has shifted to the Luka Doncic era, which George does not fit the timeline of in the slightest.
To put a lucrative amount of money on the books for an aging star would feel like a rushed decision by L.A.'s front office.
As fun as it is to speculate a star joining the Lakers, this trade feels quite far from becoming a reality.
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