Annual salary of 56 million! If you get a big contract, you will be put on the shelves and you will be put on the shelves! It is indeed difficult for you to win the championship

In recent years, a group of new generation stars have shown their strengths and are competing to become the future facade. However, most of the popularity and traffic in the league are still concentrated on those old-school stars. Many fans only recognize their white moonlight. Even if those traditional superstars are already on the way down the mountain, fans will still give them the greatest support. James is in his 40s, and Curry has struggled relatively this season, and his finishing ability at the basket has declined a lot. Although Durant's scoring ability is still there, it is very difficult to lead the team. He has not even made it into the playoffs this year. To be honest, Jenkudu's peak period has been long enough, and more traditional stars have gradually deviated from the All-Star level and have even become role players. Like Paul, who is also 40 years old, his average score per game in the past two years has dropped to single digits for the first time in his career.

Like Westbrook, he became a wanderer in the league. He replaced 6 teams in 6 years, which made Westbrook a little exhausted. His value has also dropped sharply from maximum salary to basic salary. Now Westbrook has the spiritual role in the game, perhaps even more than on-court contributions. Including Harden, although this season has recovered slightly, it is more like a comeback, revealing his true colors as soon as the playoffs arrive. In fact, after leaving the Rockets, the former "peak" no longer exists. On the one hand, as he grows older and accumulates injuries (Harden has suffered from hamstring injuries in recent years), Harden's personal ability has indeed declined. On the other hand, when Harden joins other teams, he is willing to make sacrifices, actively change his identity positioning, and assume more of the role of the organizer. Over time, his scoring ability is deteriorating, which is inevitable.

When it comes to old-school stars, we must not forget that there is another player, that is Paul George. George's starting point is not low. In his early years of his career, he was the absolute core of the Pacers. He led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals for two consecutive years and fought against the Heat Big Three. Even if he encountered serious injuries in 2014, he was able to recover to the All-Star level in time after returning after a season of rest and ushered in his peak four years later. In the 18-19 season, George averaged 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in the Thunder, second only to Harden in the league, and ranked second in the league and top three in the MVP list. Regarding George's ability, he may be the most balanced star in the league, with an offense and defense. He was selected for both the best team and the best defense in his peak season, and also won a steal king. He has a rich scoring method on the offensive end.

However, George's peak was only a flash in the pan. After leaving the Thunder and heading to the Clippers, his scoring ability began to drop sharply. He has been playing in the Clippers in recent years and has joined forces with Xiaoka. Originally, the strongest forward duo in the league, the two teamed up to not meet expectations. What’s most impressive about the Clippers in recent years is that every time in the playoffs, Ka and George, one of them will lose their chains or miss them, or the two will not play together. There is no way. During this period, both of them were indeed intermittent, troubled by various injuries and diseases, and they are all glass-man attributes. In the summer of 24, George collapsed during the contract renewal negotiations with the Clippers, so he left the Clippers and went to Philadelphia for the 76ers. The 76ers gave him a four-year maximum salary contract of US$212 million. The annual salary of this contract will exceed 56 million in the last year, the 27-28 season. It is certainly reasonable for the 76ers to introduce George. Their book strength is already quite exaggerated. The starting lineup is in charge of three All-Star players, and there are also a bunch of veterans in the substitute. The purpose is to reach the championship window as soon as possible. Leading the team with Embiid's single core may be a bit difficult to go into the playoffs, but with Maxi's growth and George's joining, what results can they achieve? Unexpectedly, the 76ers were full of confidence to win the championship this year, but they turned out to be bad! This season, they only achieved an embarrassing record of 24 wins and 58 losses, with a winning rate of nearly 30 percentage points lower than last season, and missed the playoffs for the first time after 7 years. Embiid's MVP halo is no longer there, and George's personal performance is even more sluggish. He averaged only 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, and his average score is 6 points less than last season.

It can be clearly seen from the game that George not only declined in strength, but most importantly, his mentality has also changed. The game was played casually and not positive enough. To put it bluntly, he didn't even put it on the court. He had already started his off-court career and the podcast program was very prosperous. At that time, the Philadelphia media said: "Before Paul George averaged 20 points per game, he should be banned from podcasting." For George, the championship seemed to be no longer attractive. He had just obtained a four-year maximum salary contract, and he had spent these four years, and his career was basically over. Just rest as long as he retired in Philadelphia. If the 76ers are competitive, it would be fine. The key is that the team boss Embiden is not strong either, he has many injuries and is playing too softly. If I am George, I might also play with him.

ESPN reporters said that after the 76ers stopped in the regular season, they may actively seek trades this summer, including Paul George and the Nanhua lottery as the core chips, pursuing other stars such as Durant and Markkanen. Annual salary of 56 million! If you get a big contract, it will be bad and you will be put on the trading stage. It will be difficult for you to win the championship. Is there a possibility that George is a typical example of fame over strength, his personal ability is not enough to support himself, he becomes the number one star in the team, and he is not strong enough. In the next few years, is George the only one hand left to blow?