Getty Tyrese Maxey
The Philadelphia 76ers have failed to make much progress in the Joel Embiid era. Enough time has passed that Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley explained in a September 12 story what the Sixers should do to prevent Embiid from potentially making a trade request.
“If the Sixers aren’t fully committed to building a championship roster around (Embiid), then maybe he won’t be fully committed to them moving forward.
“That’s why Philly should try emptying its asset stash—yes, even if that means losing Tyrese Maxey—for the chance to win the Damian Lillard sweepstakes. With his pick-and-roll prowess and proven ability to perform in the playoffs, he should be an even better fit with Embiid than James Harden has been,” Buckley wrote.
Though Lillard made an official trade request from the Portland Trail Blazers on July 1, per Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, they have yet to honor his demand. Maxey would be appealing to the Trail Blazers with both his scoring abilities and his age, but the Sixers have to think about whether it’s worth it to surround Embiid with Lillard or, should Embiid ask out, start over with Maxey.
Lillard is entering the third year of a four-year, $176 million contract and will be paid up until 2027. Lillard has been in the NBA’s top ten in MVP voting for multiple years, with the closest he’s come to winning the award happening in 2018 when he placed fourth in voting.
Bill Simmons Believes Joel Embiid May Join Knicks
On the September 7 episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” Simmons said Embiid is among the three stars who he believes may leave their team for the New York Knicks, guaranteeing that one of them will join the Sixers rival.
“They’ll get one of those three guys, I guarantee,” Simmons said. “Giannis (Antetokoumnpo), Embiid, or (Donovan) Mitchell will be on that team a year from now.”
Embiid has ties to the Knicks, as Leon Rose, the president of the Knicks, used to represent Embiid as his agent. Also, the Knicks always get mentioned as a destination for stars because of how luring New York can be while also playing for one of the league’s most storied franchises in the Knicks.
That doesn’t mean that Embiid is automatically New York-bound, but it doesn’t mean Embiid may not get traded in the near future, either. If he is, it’s also very possible he may team up with one of Antetokounmpo or Mitchell if he gets traded to the Knicks.
Zach Lowe Reveals How Clippers-Sixers Could Agree to Trade
On the September 5 episode of “The Lowe Post,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe explained how the Sixers and Los Angeles Clippers could come to an agreement on a James Harden trade.
“If the Clippers were to put both (of their tradable) first-round picks in, even without (Terance Mann), I think there’s a two-team deal that exists that the Sixers would do,” Lowe said.
Lowe added that while the two teams are far off on a deal, he thinks the Sixers hope Harden can compromise enough on his trade stance that playing for the Sixers will raise his value enough to get traded for fair value.
“I don’t think the two teams have been anywhere close to any of that kind of deal, which is why I think the only play I see for the Sixers here is bring him to camp, hope…he plays pretty well, and the Clippers and some other teams with high expectations sputter over their first 20 games and get desperate.”
That would be a pretty big gamble if that’s what the Sixers plan to do. Harden may want to get paid, but he does not want to be paid to play for the Sixers. It all depends on which desire weighs more.