BREAKING: Paul George Suspended 25 Games

Paul George has been suspended 25 games without pay for violation of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program, the league announced on Saturday morning.

In a statement to ESPN, George said:

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. 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.
Paul George, via Shams Charania

With less than a week until the trade deadline, this is a major development on several fronts.

The financial impact of George's suspension

If there's one silver lining to George's suspension, it's that the Sixers now have far less incentive to salary-dump Quentin Grimes or Kelly Oubre Jr. ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.

When a player gets suspended for 20 or more games, he gets docked 1/110th of his pay for every game that he misses. Since George is earning nearly $51.7 million this year, this suspension will cost him $11,742,293 in total. The NBA deducts 50 percent of that from the Sixers' luxury-tax payroll, so they'll trim $5,871,147 from their taxable salaries.

The Paul George 25 game suspension will cost $11,742,293.

The 76ers will receive a tax variance credit of $5,871,147.

George will be moved from the active to suspended list after the 5th game.

They can sign an additional player once he is on the suspended list.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) January 31, 2026

Prior to George's suspension, the Sixers were roughly $7.1 million above the $187.9 million tax line after signing Charles Bassey to a 10-day contract. With George's suspension credit factored in, they're now less than $1.3 million above it.

The Sixers can now get below the tax simply by salary-dumping Eric Gordon ($2.3 million), which shouldn't cost them more than a second-round pick. However, they also need to account for how much money it'll cost them to convert both Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow from two-way contracts to standard deals.

As we covered the other day, the Sixers figure to convert Walker after the trade deadline on Feb. 5, as he'll hit his 50-game limit on Tuesday. If they convert him ahead of their game against the Los Angeles Lakers that night, he'll cost roughly $884,000.

Heading into Saturday, Barlow still has 13 games left on his two-way deal before the Sixers have to convert him. If he's on their active list every game moving forward, they won't have to convert him until March 3. It would cost them around $541,000 to convert him on that date.

So, the Sixers need to finish the trade deadline at least $1.425 million below the $187.9 million tax line to leave themselves enough room to convert Walker and Barlow and still stay out of tax territory. Salary-dumping Gordon would get them close, but that alone wouldn't cover it.

What George's suspension means for the Sixers moving forward

Heading into Saturday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Sixers sit just one game above the Play-In tournament. However, they're also only 1.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors for the right to host a first-round playoff series and are 3.5 games behind the second-seeded New York Knicks.

George's suspension will now force the Sixers to reconsider how aggressive to be ahead of Thursday's trade deadline. They'll have to survey themselves, the landscape of the East and the trade market before deciding whether to pull the trigger on any deals.

The Sixers are about to embark on a daunting trip out west after Saturday's home game against the Pelicans. If they struggle in George's absence, the team's ownership group could decide that the roster is not good enough to make a deep run this season amidst George's suspension and opt to cut costs to avoid the luxury tax.

Alternatively, they could feel even more inclined to make a major move to capitalize on an underwhelming field in the East and make the most of the seasons that Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid are having.

Philadelphia will have to think swiftly. With Giannis Antetokounmpo's exit from Milwaukee seemingly in progress, this moment has the potential to change the course of the season for both the Sixers and the NBA at large.