Sixers: 3 reasons Joel Embiid is worth his supermax despite injuries

The uncertainty of Ben Simmons

The alternative to building a team around Embiid in recent years that’s been discussed is building around Ben Simmons. Simmons had some impressive games in 2020 without Embiid that at least had people thinking about what he could do with “his own team”. The 42-point outburst against Rudy Gobert’s Jazz was one of those impressive samples.

But then the playoffs happened. Simmons had himself a meltdown in multiple games of the Atlanta series. While he might start the season with the Sixers, per recent reports, Simmons might not be here for the long haul.

The Sixers were already being built around Embiid, but the possibility of a Simmons trade makes that reality even more apparent. Regardless of what type of Simmons trade is constructed, Embiid is the Sixers and the Sixers are Embiid. Without him, they have nothing.

Other than just the Simmons-sized elephant in the room, the NBA functions in an era of unparalleled player movement. Having the chance to lock up a top 10 player for the next half decade simply doesn’t come around often. Sure, a new contract doesn’t prevent Embiid for requesting a trade down the line. It’s always possible. For Embiid to sign the dotted line this early on though has to be considered a vote of confidence in the organization.