Joel Embiid is healthy, lighter and, according to the Philadelphia 76ers, more motivated than he has been in years.
That still was not enough to keep him off Bleacher Report’s All-Overpaid First Team entering the 2026-27 season.
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale projected Embiid to provide roughly $18.4 million less value than his $57.99 million salary, which represents 35.15% of the salary cap. The model assumes Embiid plays 60 games — a threshold he has not reached since 2022-23.
Favale went even further: If Embiid is limited to around 50 games, his projected overpayment rises to nearly $25 million.
That is the central problem Philadelphia must solve.
Joel Embiid’s Availability Drives ‘Overpaid’ Label
Embiid played only 38 regular-season games last season before undergoing an emergency appendectomy in April. He returned during the playoffs but ultimately appeared in just seven of Philadelphia’s 11 postseason games.
His recent availability makes the $57.99 million cap hit difficult to separate from his on-court impact.
Favale’s argument is not that Embiid can no longer dominate. It is that Philadelphia cannot count on receiving superstar-level availability from one of the NBA’s highest-paid players.
And yet, the Sixers are entering camp with significantly more optimism than the outside projections suggest.
Mike Gansey Says Embiid Is ‘Ready to Go’
Philadelphia president of basketball operations Mike Gansey told ESPN in August that Embiid was healthy and enjoying his first normal offseason in years.
“Joel is great,” Gansey said. “This is like the first summer I think in a while that he’s been healthy.”
Gansey said Embiid had been working out and lifting throughout the summer and described him as “extra motivated” and “ready to go.”
Embiid’s motivation has also been fueled by Philadelphia’s revamped roster. The Sixers acquired Jaylen Brown from Boston and later added LeBron James, giving Embiid an unprecedented collection of veteran star power around him.
Gansey said Embiid wants to play more games but stressed that Philadelphia will build a workload plan with the center, coach Nick Nurse and the performance staff.
“We got to map it out and see what’s best for him and the team,” Gansey told ESPN.
That sentence captures the tension surrounding Embiid better than any salary model can.
76ers Still Betting Big on Embiid
The Sixers can manage Embiid’s workload because they know what the ceiling still looks like.
Gansey called Embiid “arguably the best and most talented big” he has been around and said Philadelphia’s success will still depend heavily on him despite the additions of James and Brown.
That is why the “overpaid” label is both understandable and incomplete.
If Embiid plays 45 or 50 games and struggles to stay available in May, nearly $58 million will look increasingly burdensome.
If Philadelphia’s healthy-summer optimism finally translates into sustained availability and another deep playoff run, no model will matter much.
For Embiid and the Sixers, the 2026-27 season is less about proving he is still elite.
It is about proving Philadelphia can actually rely on seeing that version of him often enough.
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