When the Philadelphia 76ers acquired Paul George to form a triumvirate with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, they didn’t envision being 20-34 and tied for the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference with the Brooklyn Nets as they ready for the season to resume after the All-Star break.

ESPN’s Lisa Salters reported during the Sixers’ 135-127 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Super Bowl Sunday that Embiid, who has appeared in just 17 games in the current campaign, told her he’ll likely need another surgery on his left knee, followed by a “long recovery period.”

The 76ers’ first-round pick in this year’s draft is a selection owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, it’s top-six protected. So, Embiid not waiting until the offseason to undergo surgery may be in his and the franchise’s best interest. Philadelphia has the seventh-worst record in the NBA.

Philadelphia parted with veteran forward Caleb Martin leading up to the trade deadline. In exchange, they acquired a younger, and in this author’s opinion, more talented player with a comparable profile in Quentin Grimes. The latter, a restricted free agent this summer, turns 25 in May.

Grimes might not be the only wing on the younger side who the Sixers added this month and are eager to evaluate with more than the current campaign in mind.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reports the 76ers signed Lonnie Walker IV to a two-year, $3.7 million deal on Tuesday. The 26-year-old former first-round NBA draft pick was playing for Zalgiris Kaunas in the Euroleague this season. He had an NBA-out in his contract.

Walker spent training camp with the Boston Celtics. There, he conveyed the following to this author about settling for an Exhibit 10 deal and fighting for a standard NBA contract.

“Honestly, going into the offseason, I was hopeful that there was a possibility of getting a guaranteed contract or something of that nature. I feel like I have earned that. It’s never on your time. It’s on God’s time. So, for the most part, I didn’t have an expectation. I leave it all up to God. I’m going to work my tail off on the court every single day, consistently, and however the chips may fall, the chips fall.

“But for the most part, I’m not too worried about the things that I can’t control. I can control being on the court, being the best of my capability, and being my best self for my teammates. Sooner or later, the opportunity has to meet the preparation.”

A day before the Celtics, already over the second apron, waived Walker in a financially motivated move, Boston’s head coach, Joe Mazzulla, raved about the six-year veteran’s approach at training camp with the reigning NBA champions.

“He had a great training camp,” voiced Mazzulla. “I liked his attitude. I like his work ethic. I thought he really got acclimated to our defensive system, and I thought he really worked to study the offensive system and how to fit into that. He took advantage of the time that he had, and that’s really all you can ask for.”

“I love Lonnie,” expressed Celtics center Luke Kornet a day later. “He’s a great player. His energy, joy, and passion, and connection… he’s been great to have around. A joy to play with and a joy to work with.”

While traveling overseas was a circuitous route to a standard NBA contract, Walker’s hard work and preparation have landed him his next opportunity to showcase his talents on basketball’s highest level.