Joel Embiid has spent most of the past two seasons on the shelf, and one writer proposes that he may not play for the Philadelphia 76ers again.
Joel Embiid sent to Western Conference contender in 76ers trade proposal originally appeared on The Sporting News
Joel Embiid, the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the 2022-23 season, has spent most of his time since then on the shelf.
In the two seasons since Embiid claimed the league's top individual honor, he has appeared in just 58 of the Philadelphia 76ers' 164 regular-season games.
His status for the start of the 2025-26 campaign still remains uncertain, though 76ers head coach Nick Nurse told talkSPORT's Brian T. Smith on Tuesday that "all the news is positive" surrounding Embiid's injury recovery. It is also universally accepted that he will return to camp in a 76ers uniform, as the franchise is not planning on moving the star center this offseason, according to league insider Marc Stein.
But during talking season, when every one of the sport's superstars are tied to rumors about leaving their respective teams, there's no fun in that.
Fantasy Sports on SI's Dave Holcomb proposed that the 76ers' front office could find a potential trade partner in the Golden State Warriors, a franchise looking to acquire their first non-rookie of the offseason.
Holcomb believes a deal can be struck between the two teams if the Warriors are willing to exchange significant assets — Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, Trayce Jackson-Davis and two-first round picks — for Embiid's services.
"In a perfect world, Philadelphia wants Embiid back this fall and playing with [Paul] George and [Tyrese] Maxey. That's likely why the 76ers aren't entertaining trade offers for the power forward at this time," Holcomb wrote. "But Embiid goes through injury issues every season. He played in 19 games during 2024-25 and just 39 contests the season prior. He has never dressed for more than 68 games in a single regular season during his career.
"If the 76ers don't see Embiid returning to his MVP-level play from 2022-23, then the team should considering moving on and trading the 31-year-old when he still has a lot of value on the market."
Despite giving away much of their depth, the Warriors could still stand to benefit in engaging in trade talks for Embiid, according to Holcomb.
"The Warriors make arguably the most logical sense to be a trade destination... because of the organization's recent championship pedigree and the age of the roster. Embiid would start to decline around the same time Golden State is going to have to begin rebuilding anyway. So, they probably don't mind Embiid's age as much as other teams might. The power forward would also be a force in Golden State's frontcourt if he returns fully healthy," Holcomb wrote. "Finally, dumping Kuminga would end a messy contract situation for the Warriors."
Embiid heads into this season as a seven-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion and a one-time All-NBA First Teamer (in 2023). Should he return to his pre-injury form, that could pay dividends for the 76ers, whether they decide to ultimately hold onto him for the long run or not.
Category: Basketball
