Paul George chose to leave the Clippers this offseason and signed a contract with the 76ers with a maximum salary, which is indeed extremely rare at the current age of 34. Paul George was a rookie in 2010, and that year's rookie is still a star-studded rookie. The champion of the year was John Wall, but Wall also experienced injuries that led to the fall of his career. In fact, Wall is also a very capable player, having been selected as an All-Star five times in his career. If he hadn't suffered an injury, he could still have a place in the league for now.

Cousins was also the fifth rookie selected in the first round that year. And he also suffered a career Achilles tendon rupture, which led to a turning point in his career. You know, before he was injured, he was the league's No. 1 center. And one player announced his retirement this offseason, and he was Gordon Hayward, who was the same age as Paul George. Hayward, also 34, was drafted with the ninth pick in the first round in 2010, one pick higher than Paul George. Paul George is currently offered a max contract in the offseason, while Hayward is opting to retire.

Both Hayward and Paul George have experienced the same injuries in their careers, and both suffered broken legs. But Paul George returned from injury in a completely different situation than Hayward. It may be that Hayward was unable to overcome the psychological trauma that his performance began to decline rapidly after his return from injury. In fact, Hayward was a player who was not inferior to Paul George before he was injured in his career, and many people witnessed his strength when he was in the Jazz playoffs. In the 16~17 season, he averaged 24+6 data per game in the playoffs, and he was the absolute number one star of the Jazz team that year.

Hayward has also been selected as an All-Star in his career, and many fans have even bluntly said that his ability is not under Paul George's ability. When you look at Hayward's career averages, you'll see that his average of shots per game is completely lower than that of Paul George. But his average efficiency per game is no worse than that of Paul George. In other words, Hayward has no ambition to be the core of the team. He is often defined as the second and third choice on teams after the Jazz, and his career averages will be better if he has the determination to be a leader and can take on more shots.

But in any case, Hayward has had a very successful career, and at the age of 34, he may have fulfilled his dream of basketball. After being an All-Star and getting a couple of huge contracts, it's time for him to enjoy life. Not everyone is looking forward to achieving great things and winning championships. For a player like Hayward, perhaps finding the true meaning of life is what he's looking forward to at the moment.