Paul George signs $212 million, four-year contract with Philadelphia 76ers

Meanwhile, James Harden will remain with the Clippers on a two-year contract that includes a player option, a source with knowledge of the decision told the AP earlier on Sunday.

Harden’s deal, which could be worth as much as $70 million if he opts in for 2025-26, was agreed in principle before free agency technically began, according to the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither Harden nor the Clippers had announced the agreement.

Harden, a 10-time NBA All-Star, averaged 16.6 points and 8.5 assists last season for the Clippers, who will move into their new Intuit Dome home next season.

Elsewhere, veteran guard Chris Paul will team up with top rookie of the year Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio on a one-year deal, according to a source with knowledge of the deal.

Paul was waived earlier Sunday by the Golden State Warriors, who would have otherwise paid him $30 million for next season. ESPN reported the Spurs will pay Paul about $11 million. Paul, 39, averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 assists in 58 games with the Warriors last season.

And Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will bring his championship experience to the Orlando Magic, a team that made a big leap this past season and is now trying to become an even stronger contender in the East.

Caldwell-Pope — a two-time champion guard — was in the process of finalizing a three-year, $66 million contract with the Magic, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be finalized until the league’s offseason moratorium is lifted on July 6.

It’s a big addition for the surging Magic, who won 47 games — their most in 13 years — and returned to the playoffs last season. Caldwell-Pope was part of title-winning teams with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and the Denver Nuggets in 2023. He averaged 10.1 points for the Nuggets last season while shooting nearly 41% from three-point range.

In other notable moves Sunday:

— Kevin Love was in the process of finalizing a new two-year contract with the Miami Heat worth about $8 million, a person with knowledge of the deal told the AP, the move coming a day after he did not opt ​​out of what would have been a $4 million contract for next season with the club. Love had said repeatedly last season that he had no intention of leaving Miami.

— Andre Drummond agreed to a two-year contract worth approximately $10 million (the second year is an option) to join the Philadelphia 76ers, a team for which he has appeared in 49 games in the 2021-22 season. Drummond spent the past two seasons in Chicago — he averaged 8.4 points and 9.0 rebounds in just 17 minutes per game last season — and would provide valuable insurance alongside Embiid in the 76ers’ big-man rotation. “I’m hungry for a Philly cheesesteak,” Drummond posted on social media.

— Obi Toppin is getting a nice reward for his strong first season with Indiana. A person with knowledge of the agreement said he and the Pacers were finalizing a four-year deal worth nearly $60 million. Toppin averaged a career-high 10.3 points last season, his first with Indiana after three years in New York.

— Promising winger Max Christie is returning to the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year, $32 million contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told the AP. Christie, 21, averaged 3.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists during his first two NBA seasons.

– The NBA has set the salary cap at $140.588 million for the 2024-2025 season, slightly lower – about $400,000 – compared to what teams had to expect. The tax level was set at $170.814 million, the first platform level will be $178.132 million, the second platform level will be $188.931 million, the middle level for non-taxpayers will be $12.822 million, the middle level for taxpayers will be $5.168 million, and the middle level space is $ 7.983 million.