Is the Joel Embiid era in Philadelphia coming to its end?
The Ringer’s Ryen Rusillo claimed that Embiid, the oft-injured Sixers franchise star, was on the trade block before his season-ending surgery.
“I heard Embiid was available at the trade deadline,” Rusillo said on the “Bill Simmons” podcast on Monday.
Simmons was in disbelief.
“C’mon, we’re getting on Hoopshype tomorrow,” Simmons told Rusillo.
“It may have been a ‘would you?’ but I think this happens all the time. So it shouldn’t be something that’s big of a deal,” Rusillo replied.
Embiid was only limited to 19 games this season that torpedoed the Sixers’ plans to contend after they acquired Paul George last summer to form a Big Three with All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey surrounded by a veteran supporting cast.
In April, Embiid underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee after he was shut down for the season that excruciatingly went from championship expectations to hoping to keep their lottery pick in this year’s draft.
A month earlier, George was shut down due to injuries to his left adductor muscle and left knee.
The Sixers and Embiid hope the surgery will finally give him a clean bill of health. But if not, the Sixers would be wise to seriously consider moving on from the seven-time NBA All-Star center, who is only two years removed from being the league’s MVP.
No Positive Trade Chip Outside of Tyrese Maxey
Russillo’s trade nugget on Embiid came a week after Tyrone Johnson of 97.5 The Fanatic said on air that the Sixers stars outside of Maxey have negative trade value.
No front office in their right minds would trade for Embiid without clarity on his health. Johnson urged the Sixers to rebuild around Maxey and get out of the Embiid and George business.
“Any conversation that’s about changing this roster, that involves trading people and getting something back with value, is crazy,” Johnson said. “…Paul George won’t get you a stack of phonebooks. And no one cares about phonebooks anymore. Joel Embiid right now would get you a broken-down car with no engine.
“I’m not suggesting that this is a great situation that the Sixers are in. But this notion that you can just move on from Embiid, and someone else is going to take him on. And, you’re gonna get something back that’s gonna help you win, is beyond ridiculous. Honestly, to say it out loud would be disrespectful to the audience.”
Despite his nagging knee issues, Embiid still averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the Sixers this season.
Over the past two seasons, Embiid has only played 58 out of the possible 164 games in the regular season.
Paul George Lays Out Offseason Plans for Sixers Big 3
After a disappointing first season in Philadelphia, George plans to link up with Embiid and Maxey this offseason to plot a major comeback next season.
“I think that’s very important,” George told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We’ve already talked about seeing each other, where we’re going to be this summer. So we’ve already had those conversations about connecting once the season’s over. I think it’s very important. I don’t think it’s healthy to go two, three months before seeing each other, regardless of if we’re checking in over the phone. It’s just different seeing each other.”
The Sixers Big 3 only played together for 15 games and posted a 7-8 record during that span.
Sixers Star Joel Embiid on Trade Block: ‘I Heard He Was Available’