The NBA has suspended Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George for 25 games “for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program,” the league announced Saturday.
George’s suspension begins with Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. He provided a statement to The Athletic after the suspension was reported that referenced his decision to seek treatment for mental health.
“Over the past few years, I’ve discussed the importance of mental health, and in the course of recently seeking treatment for an issue of my own, I made the mistake of taking an improper medication,” the statement read. “I take full responsibility for my actions and apologize to the Sixers organization, my teammates and the Philly fans for my poor decision-making during this process.
“I am focused on using this time to make sure that my mind and body are in the best condition to help the team when I return.”
George’s suspension comes at an unfortunate time for himself and the 76ers. After Saturday night’s home game against the Pelicans, the 76ers begin a road trip that would have been a homecoming trip for George, a Southern California native, with the first game at the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. George played for the Clippers from 2019 to 2024.
While George hasn’t been the star performer that the 76ers expected when he signed with them as a free agent in 2024, the 76ers have been a better team with George on the floor this season. George ranks second on the 76ers in 3s made per game (2.4) while hitting 38.2 percent of his attempts, the second-best on the team among the 11 players who have attempted more than 40 3s. George is also an important playmaker (3.7 assists per game) despite his decreased shot creation ability, while ranking third on the team with 1.5 steals per game.
George won’t be able to return to action until March 25, when the 76ers have only 10 games left. It means that George will play a maximum of only 37 games this season, after appearing in only 41 games in his first season with the 76ers last season. George missed the first 12 games of this season while recovering from offseason left knee surgery. He recently had his second 30-point game of the season in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks this week, making a season-high 9 3s as part of a 32-point performance.
The nine-time All-Star is averaging 16.0 points and 3.7 assists while shooting 42.4 percent from the field.
The 76ers are going to need to replace George’s minutes with more time for Kelly Oubre Jr., who has missed 22 games already this season due to a knee injury. George plays 30.5 minutes per game, while Oubre already averages 32.0 minutes, though George and Oubre have only played nine games together all season. Oubre is a downgrade from George as a shooter, playmaker, and rebounder, though Oubre has been a capable finisher and defender this season.
The timing of the suspension also comes at an awkward time for the 76ers. Center Joel Embiid said this week that the team has been “ducking the tax” and “hopefully we think about improving because I think we have a chance.” Now, Philadelphia will have to make its postseason push without an important cog.
One small silver lining for Philadelphia: It appears the 76ers no longer need to trade Andre Drummond to get under the luxury tax. The forfeited salary of suspended players only counts half against the luxury tax, which means the $11.74 million that George will lose as a result of the suspension will cut the Sixers’ luxury tax bill by $5.87 million.
As a result, Philadelphia is now just $1.26 million over the tax line, an amount they can easily cover by trading little-used vet Eric Gordon to another team and sending cash or a late second-round pick for their troubles.
Philadelphia can also place George on the ‘suspended list” after he’s missed five games and sign a 16th player to their roster for the remainder of his suspension.
This story will be updated.