The Sixer Sense
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While Sixers Avoid Paying Some, Embiid is Worth the Investment

By Josh Wilson

Jan 13, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) stands for the anthem prior to the start of a game against the Charlotte Hornets at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 13, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) stands for the anthem prior to the start of a game against the Charlotte Hornets at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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A massive debate will come up this summer over whether or not the Philadelphia 76ers should give Joel Embiid a contract extension. He is worth every penny.

The trade deadline is still very much on the minds of most Philadelphia 76ers fans. While we assumed that the Sixers would be making some trades, the value they brought back for the trades they made was a bit disappointing.

Ersan Ilyasova‘s value wasn’t that shocking. A veteran in the final year of his contract, the Sixers took what they could get with a player that was very much useless to the team moving forward, and a mystery as far as how much longer he’s got in the league.

The deal that upset fans was the deal for Nerlens Noel. The Sixers traded Noel for Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut (who would be bought out) and a first round pick (that is almost guaranteed to convey as two future second-round picks).

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Not the best value for a guy who was really decent at guarding the rim and really integral in the team’s January success that included a huge boost in defensive identity.

With both of those deals, something is clear: Saving money is key, and having cash to spend in a few years is important. This notion is something a bit foreign to Sixers fans, as the team has not been strapped for cash in a very long time, often finding players that they can pay little, little money to. The Sixers’ finances over the last few years have actually been quite the opposite of that of a usual sports organization. Since they weren’t competing to win, they weren’t usually worried about cash, and weren’t paying much out to players. In several seasons, the contract on their payroll that took up the most cash wasn’t even with the team when the season began.

In the past. they’ve had to spend money to reach the salary floor rather than cutting expenses to keep themselves at or near the salary cap.

Now, however, the Sixers have some players coming up that they want as a part of their future. They’ve been on affordable deals so far, but once those deals are up, they will have to pay out significantly more money to them.

Nik Stauskas‘ contract expires after the 2018 season, as does Robert Covington‘s, and perhaps most importantly, Joel Embiid’s. Covington and Stauskas seem like they’ll probably be a part of the future with the Sixers, but there’s no guarantee. If they demand a lot of money, there’s no shame in watching them walk.

The Sixers made that clear already with Ilyasova, and even Nerlens Noel, who has his contract expiring after this season (though he is a restricted free agent). The Sixers could have retained Noel with no risk of losing him this summer, but opted to move him before his money became an issue.

Looking ahead, paying Noel the big money he will be getting this summer, in addition to Embiid and the big money the team looks to extend him for before October, plus the auxiliary players that you’d like to keep around in Covington and Stauskas, the money is piling up. Noel is a talented player, so the fact that the Sixers opted out of him — despite the price tag he comes with — is a bit surprising, and speaks to how much the team wants to put finances as a priority.

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All the while, the team looks prepared to offer Embiid an extension before the deadline to do so in October. He will be getting a significant pay raise.

While the Sixers appear to have a ton of money to spend now, that shopping budget would go way down with just the addition of Noel and Embiid off of their rookie contract.

So, in many ways, the value for Noel seemed low, but wasn’t. The Sixers weren’t just trading for the return they got in assets, but they were trading in order to get themselves out of a sticky situation over the next few years.

Next: 5 Reasons to Give Embiid a Contract Extension

Not many players on the Sixers roster have proven they’re worth the money the market will set them at. But in just 31 short games this season, Joel Embiid proved he is the foundation of Philly’s future.