Time to Embiid goodbye

For most of the past decade, the fortunes of the Philadelphia 76ers have rested on the shoulders (and knees) of former Most Valuable Player (MVP) and seven-time NBA All-Star center Joel Embiid.

  When healthy, Embiid is arguably the best player in basketball. During his 2022-23 MVP season, the big man averaged 33.1 points, 11 rebounds, 4.2 assists together with 2.7 stocks (steals + blocks) on 55 percent shooting.

  Despite his dominance and unique skillset, Embiid has never carried his team past the second round of the playoffs.

  His career has been largely defined by various injuries – back, knees, and liver ailments – that have held him back and the 76ers. He has never played more than 70 games in the regular season and in the past three years, he only suited up for 124 games out of a possible 246 – a 50% availability rate due to nagging knee issues.

  This has left the 76ers holding the bag of his hefty contract that has made it difficult for the team to build a contender. Over the next four seasons, the team will pay Embiid roughly $240 million that extends all the way to 2028-2029 where he will be earning $67.2 million in his age 34 season.

  For the 2025-2026 season, the 76ers are paying Embiid $55 million, Paul George $52 million and Tyrese Maxey $38 million in guaranteed contracts representing over 90% of the salary cap. This makes it difficult for the team to get quality complementary players without breaking the bank.

  The latest Embiid injury update has left the team in limbo with training camp over a month away, the 76ers are uncertain if he can participate after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery last April.

  The recently released 76ers regular season schedule is also a cause for concern with 16 back-to-back games. This comes after Embiid’s announcement last year that he would no longer play back-to-back games to ensure his long-term health and post-season readiness.

  In addition to Embiid’s injury woes, the team just got 41 games from Paul George and 52 from Tyrese Maxey last season. From possible contenders amid the hype of the George acquisition, the 76ers’ fortunes were reversed with the injury bug, and they only won 24 games in 2024-25.

  George also underwent knee surgery just in July and is a big question mark to start the season.

  With this scenario, it is high time for Philadelphia to admit that the process has failed and pivot towards handing Maxey the reins of this team. However, the team would be hard-pressed to find takers given Embiid and George’s hefty contracts that will weigh heavy on the team as the contracts age.

  Embiid and George are on the wrong side of their peaks and injuries have slowed them enough to drop them from the list of the league’s elite. As is, the 76ers are a middling team at best and a lottery team at worst with no relief in sight as they are invested in two injury-prone former All-Stars.

  The path forward is to trade the contracts of Embiid and George on the cheap. It is time to bid goodbye to Embiid and George.

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