Why Joel Embiid would be 'tricky to trade' for new 76ers management, even if they want a fresh start

Embiid acknowledged uncertain future

Embiid, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, has spent his entire career with the Sixers. Over the last 12 years, he's grown from a raw, but extremely talented, prospect into one of the best players in the world. He won the 2023 MVP, has made seven All-Star Games, five All-NBA and three All-Defensive appearances and won two scoring titles.

Along the way, Embiid nicknamed himself "The Process" to pay homage to the team's years-long rebuilding strategy under former executive Sam Hinkie, and has become an icon in Philadelphia. But very few players spend their entire career with one team anymore, and Embiid himself acknowledged some uncertainty about the future.

"VJ (Edgecombe), I'm gonna talk to him, he's gonna be better, and he was amazing for his first year. Tyrese (Maxey) is gonna be better and he's taken a step every single year. (Paul George) that we saw the last couple weeks, he's still got it. And then everybody else. I don't know who's gonna be here," Embiid said after the Sixers' season-ending loss on Sunday, when asked about the team's future. "I don't even know if I'm gonna be here. But whatever happens happens. For me, I'm excited about really getting back to myself."

Embiid is under contract through 2028, with a player option for 2029, so the only way for him to leave Philadelphia before then would be via trade.

Would the Sixers trade Embiid?

Embiid is one of the most talented players in the league and a beloved figure, but he's also owed a lot of money and has struggled to stay on the floor in recent years. Trading him would not be an easy decision, and may require the Sixers to attach assets, but it could provide an opportunity to reset the franchise around their extremely exciting young backcourt of Maxey and Edgecombe.

The Sixers may eventually get to the point where they consider moving Embiid, but it doesn't seem like it will happen this summer. Here's NBA insider Jake Fischer with more on Embiid's future:

"Embiid's incessant availability issues, of course, have rendered him tricky to trade (to put it charitably). Would the Sixers, even if they could, be willing to add the needed draft capital to a trade that ships Embiid out? That figures to be tougher than ever given what we wrote above about how teams are expected to value future first-round picks for lottery purposes.

"No surprise, then, that I've been advised to expect no definitive effort this offseason to try to offload Embiid. No matter who is in charge."

Why Embiid would be 'tricky to trade'

Injuries

First and foremost, Embiid can't stay on the floor. He played 38 regular-season games this season, 96 regular-season games over the last three seasons and has never played more than 68 games in a season. In addition to countless knee issues, he's dealt with back, foot, thumb and head injuries.

Most importantly, Embiid has only been healthy in the playoffs once. That was during the 2020 season in the bubble when he got nearly three months off from mid-March to late July due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Sixers were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round. The only other time he's appeared in all of the Sixers' playoff games in a season was in 2024, when he played through a torn meniscus and Bell's palsy.

Here's a look at Embiid's postseason injury history:

As the 32-year-old Embiid approaches his mid-30s, teams are only going to be more wary of his health.

Big contract

In September of 2024, Embiid signed a three-year, $193 million extension that will keep him in Philadelphia through 2028, with a player option for 2029. That extension will officially kick in next season. It's too early to say if he'll pick up his $67 million extension for 2029, but there's a good chance he does given his health history.

The new collective bargaining agreement, which installed more restrictive team-building rules, will make it difficult for the Sixers to trade Embiid at any point during this extension, even if they are eager to do so, and for any team that wants to acquire him to put a winning team around him.

It's not inconceivable that Embiid will be traded at some point, but as noted, this summer is unlikely. What team is going to want to make a possible three-year commitment to him after he's played 96 games in the last three seasons?