When the Philadelphia 76ers signed Paul George last summer to a reported four-year, $212 million contract, many experts predicted that the team would be challenging at the summit of the Eastern Conference and had the potential to book a place in the NBA Finals -- this was far from the case, creating an uneasy feeling around the long-term future of the Sixers.
Sixers supporters had to endure a catastrophic campaign, in which the franchise could only muster 24 wins out of 72 games. Not even the most pessimistic of fans could have envisaged that the 76ers would be in the race for the much sought-after prospect, Cooper Flagg, come the end of the season.