This season proved that the future is now for the Philadelphia 76ers. Led by a duo of dynamic guards in budding superstar Tyrese Maxey and rookie sensation VJ Edgecombe, the team boasts two building blocks for the next version of “The Process.”
As a result, the President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey, needs to surround his backcourt with the right players this summer who fit their timeline. This brings up the difficult conversation of trading away Joel Embiid this offseason.
Embiid, 32, was drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft, and since then, he has been one of the league’s best big men, earning impressive individual accolades. These include an MVP award in 2023, seven All-Star appearances, and multiple All-NBA selections. While his track record is impressive, it arguably could be even better if he were able to stay healthy. During his 10 seasons in Philadelphia, Embiid has played 60+ games just four times, and has seen the floor in just 96 games over the last three seasons.
Another knock on Embiid is that while he has received plenty of individual recognition, he has never taken the team past the second round of the playoffs.
Now that Embiid is, at the very least, in the back half of his career, it is time for Philadelphia to part ways with “The Process.” This move will be difficult given that he is owed nearly $120M over the next two seasons, per Spotrac, and has a $67M player option for his age-34 season. But given that he can still be dominant when healthy, as evidenced by his per-game averages of 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds this season, there should be teams willing to take on his contract as the final piece to their championship core.
A Joel Embiid trade is not the easiest for Philadelphia fans to swallow. He has become adored by the Philly faithful and blossomed into one of the best players in the NBA during his prime. As is typically the case with aging superstars, though, teams are better off trading them a year early while they still have value. That makes this offseason, unfortunately, the best time for Philadelphia to part ways with their homegrown superstar and start the next version of The Process.
Whether this ultimately happens remains to be seen; it always takes two (or more) teams to tango when negotiating a trade as substantial as one involving Embiid's contract. Engaging in those talks is something that Philadelphia has complete control over, though, making it an option that should be on Morey's radar whenever this group turns the page to the 2026-27 campaign.
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