The Knicks and the Celtics may soon have company in a loaded top of the Eastern Conference.

It is sounding more likely that Paul George is headed to the 76ers. Early in the day on Sunday, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that Philadelphia was feeling more confident in landing George and by Sunday night, the Clippers released a statement announcing the two sides were going their separate ways.

The belief now is the 76ers are the heavy favorite to land him.

George, a nine-time All-Star, declined his $48.8 million player option on Saturday. He would give the 76ers a third star by joining Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

He is the biggest name on the free-agent market without a known destination. LeBron James is expected to return to the Lakers after opting out of his contract on Saturday.

The Clippers could’ve offered George as much as a four-year, $221 million maximum contract, but they were reluctant to give him a fourth year. The 76ers can pay George up to $212 million across the next four seasons. In a statement, the Clippers said “the [negotiating] gap was significant.”

“We traded a lot to pair Paul and Kawhi [Leonard] and in exchange we had five seasons of contention,” the statement read in part. “Even though we fell short of our ultimate objective, we appreciate the chances we had.”

Philadelphia had also been linked to Nuggets 3-and-D wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and there was talk of the 76ers trying to obtain both George and Caldwell-Pope. But Caldwell-Pope ended up agreeing to a three-year, $66 million contract with the Magic, according to Bleacher Report.

Philadelphia did make a few moves. They landed center Andre Drummond on a two-year, $10 million deal, NBA insider Shams Charania reported. Drummond was a potential backup option for the Knicks at center if they couldn’t bring back Isaiah Hartenstein.

Drummond is coming off a strong year with the Bulls. The 6-foot-11 big man averaged 8.4 points and 9.0 rebounds in just 17.1 minutes and led the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage (18.7) among players who appeared in at least 30 games. The 76ers also reached an agreement with veteran guard Eric Gordon on a one-year, $3.3 million deal, according to Charania.

Follow all the latest updates on NBA free agency, including signings, trades and rumors.

At the start of free agency at 6 p.m., Sunday, there were only a few deals reported. It is believed a lot of the top players are waiting to see what George does.

The Clippers, however, didn’t wait around, locking up James Harden on a two-year, $70 million extension with a player option the second year, ESPN reported. Harden isn’t nearly the star he once was, but he remains an effective player, producing 16.6 points, 8.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds last season.

If the 76ers can land George it would create another team on paper, in addition to the Knicks, that could challenge the defending champion Celtics in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks significantly improved themselves over the past week by trading for Mikal Bridges and agreeing on a new deal with OG Anunoby.

George, a dynamic 6-8 wing, is coming off a strong season in which he averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and shot a blistering 41.3 percent from 3-point range. While there are age and injury concerns with the 34-year-old George, he did appear in 74 regular-season games last year for the Clippers. It was his most games since appearing in 77 contests as a member of the Thunder in 2018-19.

“People saying chasing a championship,” George said during a recent episode of his podcast. “It’s not that, but it’s playing the right style of basketball is what I’m chasing.”

That may be true, but joining the 76ers, George would be elevating a contender, and creating a very strong top of the Eastern Conference with Philadelphia, the Knicks and Celtics.