6. It is impossible to get fair trade value for Embiid
History has repeatedly shown that the team who gets the best player usually wins the trade. The Charles Barkley debacle is a good barometer for how these trades work. A team trades a superstar for one fringe All-Star, one nice starter, and one or two role players, sometimes with a draft pick thrown in. And, invariably, the team that got the superstar looks fantastic while the other team flounders.
No one is suggesting that the Sixers just throw away Embiid for the first deal that comes down the pike. But if you are seriously assessing your team and don’t like what Joel is doing, you need to start looking at possible moves right now. If they can get a good high-energy big, take for example a John Collins or a Bam Adebayo, in addition to a great shooter, like a Kevin Huerter, Tyler Herro, or Duncan Robinson, while giving the keys to the car to Ben Simmons and taking a shot at unlocking his full potential, perhaps they can come away from this as a team better equipped to compete and win in this new age of speed basketball.
Ultimately the real value of any player is their ability to bring Championships to your team. Perhaps the way Joel Embiid brings a banner to Philadelphia is by leaving and bringing other talented players in compensation who fit this team.
If the Sixers believe, deep down in their heart of hearts, that Joel is still on his way to being a generational superstar who can carry a team then this discussion is over. Give him what he wants and work with him to help him achieve his goals. He still has MVP potential. But…if they have doubts about his heart, his work ethic, his motor, his desire to grow his game, his willingness to improve his body and his conditioning, then they should be taking calls and fielding interest.
If there is doubt, then the time is now and his value may only drop from here. There is no need to rush into a bad deal, but the time to play “wait and see” with Joel Embiid is over. Embiid and the Sixers are both officially on the clock.