Philadelphia 76ers veteran ahead Paul George has been suspended with out pay for 25 video games for violating the phrases of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program, the league announced. George’s suspension will start with Saturday evening’s recreation in opposition to the Pelicans.
George gained’t be eligible to play till Philadelphia’s final 10 video games. His earliest return date is March 25 in opposition to Chicago.
The suspension can have a huge effect in a wide range of methods, most clearly on the Sixers’ drive to complete within the high six within the East and keep out of the play-in event. They’re presently 26-21, sixth finest within the East. In 27 video games this season, he’s averaging 16 factors, 5.2 rebounds and three.7 assists.
Paul George releases assertion after getting suspended
In a press release to ESPN’s Shams Charania, George claimed that he took an “improper medicine” to cope with his psychological well being points.
“Over the previous few years, I’ve mentioned the significance of psychological well being, and in the middle of lately in search of remedy for a problem of my very own, I made the error of taking an improper medicine,” the assertion learn. “I take full accountability for my actions and apologize to the Sixers group, my teammates and the Philly followers for my poor determination making throughout this course of. I’m targeted on utilizing this time to make it possible for my thoughts and physique are in the perfect situation to assist the workforce once I return.”
The suspension will price George $11,742,293, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes. The Sixers will obtain a tax variance credit score of $5,871,147. George might be moved from the energetic to suspended record after the fifth recreation. From that time, they will signal a further participant for the rest of his suspension.
One other offshoot of the suspension is that Philadelphia is now simply $1.26M over the luxurious tax, Marks adds. That might give the Sixers much more motive to shed a bit of wage to keep away from the tax.
As cap knowledgeable Yossi Gozlan points out, the Sixers had been possible buying and selling a participant like Kelly Oubre Jr. or Quentin Grimes to transform productive two-way gamers Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker to straightforward contracts whereas ducking the luxurious tax. Now, the trail to carrying out these targets is less complicated.
The Sixers signed George to a max four-year contract in the summertime of 2024 but it surely hasn’t gone nicely. George spent most of final season coping with accidents and the Sixers have tried to handle his persistent knee points with load administration this season.
