The Philadelphia 76ers may need to go to Plan B in their offseason star search.

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor recently reported that Paul George is “Plan A” for the Philadelphia 76ers as Daryl Morey and company look to remake the roster around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. George has been on Sixers fans’ radar for a while, most closely after the Los Angeles Clippers extended Kawhi Leonard for three years, $152.4 million earlier this year, short of the four-year, $223 million they could have offered. George is viewed as a great target both due to his clean on-court fit with Embiid and Maxey and because as an unrestricted free agent, the Sixers could sign him while retaining all of their draft assets to upgrade the roster elsewhere.

However, today’s reporting may have the Sixers taking a harder look at Plans B-Z. In the wake of Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue signing an extension through the 2028-29 season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that George is likelier than previously thought to remain in Los Angeles:

“The Clippers are determined to keep Paul George and James Harden in free agency, and the organization will move into the new, state-of-the-art Intuit Dome for the start of next season.”

For a long time, George, who was born in Los Angeles County, made clear his desire to play professional basketball in the area where he grew up. The main reason it was thought he might leave was reporting that the Clippers weren’t willing to offer him more money than they did Kawhi, and a larger offer from the Sixers or elsewhere could sway him to leave his hometown. But if the Clippers are “determined to keep” him, it’s hard to imagine Steve Ballmer letting someone simply outbid him.

If you need more evidence that things have changed based upon this reporting, take a look at the offshore betting markets:

Obviously, betting lines are reactive to the reporting, not a separate piece of evidence, but the landscape has certainly changed. For the people who were concerned about George’s age (he recently turned 34), and the fact that Clippers fans have become increasingly frustrated with him during his tenure there, today’s shift may be welcome news. Let’s hope that things either change or another path was the best one all along for the Sixers.