Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is finally ready to consider options outside the City of Brotherly Love.
The Philadelphia 76ers continue to not catch breaks. Another second-round exit, another offseason of self-inflicted turmoil. James Harden has demanded a trade with no sign of backing down. And now, Joel Embiid might be next in line for a ticket out the door.
Speaking with media mogul Maverick Carter at the Uninterrupted Film Festival in New York, Embiid was asked about what's next.
His response will certainly rattle a few cages in the Philadelphia area.
Joel Embiid openly considers future beyond Philadelphia 76ers
"I just want to win a championship," he told Carter. That has always been the line from Embiid. He's focused on winning. What he says next, however, is a violent departure from years of adamantly professed loyalty.
"I don't know where that's going to be, whether it's in Philly or anywhere else."
That's right Philly fans, time to put that well-worn panic button to use once more.
Embiid has pretty much never hinted at leaving Philadelphia before. A true disciple of Sam Hinkie, Embiid has weathered more storms than any other player since his fateful arrival in Philadelphia way back in 2014.
On top of myriad injuries, Embiid has been through four separate front office regimes, he's about to partner with his third NBA head coach, and his co-star has been something of a revolving door over the years.
He dealt with the NBA forcing Hinkie out of office. He dealt with Hinkie's replacement, Bryan Colangelo, subtweeting him from a burner account. He dealt with the blatant incompetence of Colangelo's successor, Elton Brand, leading to Jimmy Butler's ill-timed departure — and the subsequent acquisition of Al Horford and Josh Richardson, on top of a Tobias Harris extension that financially hamstrung the franchise for five years.
Daryl Morey has absolutely steadied the ship to some degree, finding a way out of the Horford contract and eventually transforming the tumultuous Ben Simmons trade saga into the arrival of NBA superstar James Harden.
And yet, the results haven't really changed under Morey. Despite better rosters and 1.5 seasons of Harden, the Sixers have still lost in the second round thrice since Morey's arrival. Embiid has never been past the conference semifinals and now, Morey's own savvy posturing has led Harden to demand a trade. Whether you agree with the Sixers' reluctance to pay Harden top dollar or not, it led to Harden asking out and an increased wave of uncertainty around the future of the franchise — with Embiid now joining the chorus in surprisingly open fashion.
Embiid probably won't request a trade in the immediate future, but the pressure is on for Daryl Morey to deliver a winner. If Harden is bound to leave, the odds of Philadelphia getting a player of similar or superior quality back in return is virtually zilch. With Harris in the final year of his contract, the Sixers have the chance to open up a ton of cap space for next summer. But, is Embiid willing to wait another year as his prime — already fraught with injuries — dwindles even further?
The Sixers could be approaching a full-on rebuild sooner than fans might like. It's not like Embiid is blameless for the Sixers' postseason failures; he's especially not blameless for the most recent series loss to Boston. But, in the end, the league is driven by superstars. Embiid is the reigning MVP and if the Sixers can't find a way to win big games with him on the roster, he's going to take his talents elsewhere.
Loyalty can only survive so much blatant disrespect. The Sixers have played with fire too many times to have any justifiable outrage over Embiid's recent comments. If the 7-footer from Cameroon does eventually ask out, it will be completely warranted.