NBA Swing: It’s Time for the Joel Embiid Era to End in Philly

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As the NBA heads into the All-Star break, there is no one that is in a more confusing position than the Philadelphia 76ers. Sitting at 20-34 and 11th in the Eastern Conference, there is almost no hope of the Sixers finishing as a top 6 seed and only some hope of the team finishing in the play-in tournament. The team has been plagued by injuries with Tyrese Maxey missing 8 games and Paul George missing 19 games. The biggest problem for the Sixers is their superstar and centerpiece Joel Embiid.

Embiid has only played 17 games so far this season, missing 37 games. In those 17 games, Embiid is averaging 24.9 PPG (his lowest since the 2019-20 season), 8.9 RPG (his lowest since his rookie season), and 4.5 APG. He is also shooting 33% from three and a career-low 45% from the field. The majority of his games missed so far this season have been attributed to knee injuries, something that has plagued the big man his entire career.

After undergoing meniscus surgery last February, Embiid would come back after only a couple of months, playing in the Sixers’ first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks. Just a couple of months later, Embiid would join the United States Olympic Basketball team, something that would delay his full recovery. Embiid would miss the 2024 preseason and the beginning of the 2024-25 season with “left knee management” as the big man would recover.

Following a 135-127 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Embiid would tell reporters that repairing his knee would likely involve another surgery in addition to a long recovery period. He would also acknowledge that he did not have enough time to recover from his surgery last season

“At some point, I probably need to just, especially when the summer comes around, these few months to just recover fully,” Embiid said. “Like I said, don’t know what it is, but if that keeps being the same pattern, then obviously you’ve got to try something else.”

For Philadelphia, this is just one of many examples of Embiid’s injuries having a negative effect on the Sixers. In his career, Embiid has played around 450 games while missing over 405 games, meaning he has only played just over 52% of all possible games in his career. Through his nine seasons, Embiid has never played more than 68 games in his career.

In the playoffs, Embiid has not had much luck either. Through seven playoff appearances, Embiid and the Sixers have never made it out of the second round. The team has lost in the second round five of those seven postseasons but would lose in the first round of the 2024 playoffs.

At the pace the team is at this season, the Sixers are going to miss both the playoffs and the play-in tournament. While the blame cannot be put entirely on Embiid, his injuries have played a constant role in the Sixers’ lack of postseason success during his tenure. Through 50+ games, it’s clear that Paul George is not a great fit in Philly. On the wrong side of 30, his contract is one of the most untradable contracts in the league.

Signed through the 2028-29 season, the Sixers have three more seasons of Embiid and George together. Of the two, the Sixers would likely get more in return for Embiid. Trading Embiid may be considered a questionable move, but with young stars in Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, the Sixers can trade Embiid for a decent return without going into a full rebuild.

With 28 games remaining for the Sixers, the best move for the organization would be to embrace the tank, allowing Embiid to get his knee surgery and have an extended recovery. Via tankathon, the Sixers’ 2025 first-round draft pick (which is owed to OKC unless it lands in selections 1-6), would be sixth, giving the team a chance at a generational player in the draft.

For the Sixers, moving on from Joel Embiid would be one of the hardest decisions the organization has ever had to make, but at the same time would give the team a chance to build for the future without being hampered by injuries. For Embiid, moving on from Philadelphia may be the right decision to win and extend his career.