It was an ugly first year for Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George. Ultimately, George, just a season prior, was arguably one of the best 10 players in the NBA.
He did everything on both sides of the basketball, which led to the Sixers giving him a massive deal.
Fast forward a few months, and George had a brutal first season in Philadelphia, playing worse than ever. With three years and $162.2 million remaining on his contract, Ricky O'Donnell of SB Nation believes it might be one of the worst contracts in the NBA. He listed George as one of the most overpaid players in the league.
"The Sixers signed George to a four-year max deal in free agency a year ago, but he only played 41 games as he was limited by groin, knee, and finger injuries. He had another arthroscopic procedure on his left knee this summer, and at 35 years old, he now feels closer every day to going full-time as a podcaster.
"George's defense, shooting, and slashing has always made him a player who can contribute to winning in a variety of roles, but like Embiid, his body started betraying him right when he signed with the Sixers. Philly is lucky they have young studs like Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and VJ Edgecombe, because it's very hard to count on their two highly-paid veterans," he wrote.
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In some sense, it's unfair to say that George is overpaid because of everything the 76ers went through last season.
The idea was to pair George with Joel Embiid, but Embiid missed most of the year. George is also dealing with some injuries, with many questioning if he'll even be healthy to begin the season.
If he isn't healthy, then it's fair to say that a player is overpaid, but it's likely better to give him a few more months in a 76ers jersey and Embiid on the court before anybody starts going down that route.