This has not been a good NBA offseason for the Philadelphia 76ers. Many fans might remember that the pairing up of James Harden and Joel Embiid was supposed to lead the 76ers to a championship. However, the franchise has fallen short twice since acquiring Harden.
Several discussions in the basketball community have been on James Harden’s future. To those who are unaware of what is going on, Harden is currently in the midst of a public clash with 76ers President Daryl Morey. There are enough reasons to believe that he will not be a 76er in the near future.
Although a lot of eyes are on Harden, recent reports reveal that the 76ers might even most their franchise cornerstone in Joel Embiid. Since this would most certainly be devastating to 76ers fans, we should take a closer look and find out more.
Will the Philadelphia 76ers trade away Joel Embiid?
Veteran NBA fans will remember that the 76ers have been trying to build a contender around Joel Embiid ever since drafting him with the 3rd pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. While his injuries, especially earlier in his career, have been a cause for concern, there is no denying that Embiid is one of the best players in the world at this moment. After all, he is the reigning 2022-2023 NBA MVP.
Although he has seen quite a lot of success individually, the same cannot be said about Embiid when it comes to the postseason. His entire career has turned into a meme of kinds since he has been unable to even make it out of the second round on a consistent basis. We already know that Embiid has the desire to contend for a championship.
A recent report by NBA Insider Vincent Goodwill reveals how many sources across the league believe that Embiid’s time with the 76ers is coming to an end. The Miami Heat and New York Knicks have already been listed as contenders if Joel Embiid demands out.
Many around the NBA believe Joel Embiid will ask out sooner rather than later, per @VinceGoodwill
“Everyone’s circling, waiting. The Knicks and Miami are keeping an eye on everything going on,” pic.twitter.com/2hwtqIv7jg
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 19, 2023
While all of this is merely a hypothesis at the moment, we shouldn’t dismiss the possibility that it might just play out this way. If the 76ers are forced to trade away Harden and receive nothing significant in return, that might just aggravate Embiid enough to demand a trade. If he does, we are sure that the Heat and Knicks are two of many teams that will be eager to bid for him.
