76ers: One Joel Embiid trade for every team ranked least to most likely: 18. LA Clippers
This trade falls under the very niche category of “the package is pretty good, but the Philadelphia 76ers have no use for it.”
Paul George is a great player. When he’s at his best, he’s a top-20 player in the NBA. Maybe a top-15 player. But if the 76ers are trading Joel Embiid, they have no use for great players.
Instead, they will be targeting young assets and draft capital, neither of which the Clippers could offer them. Bones Hyland is cool, but as the second player in an Embiid deal, he just doesn’t cut it.
The Clippers would love to get their hands on Embiid. The tandem of Kawhi Leonard and Embiid, when healthy, would be enough to dominate opponents, and the Clippers have the depth to back them up.
Although, it would be quite funny to see Embiid and Leonard on the same team considering how Philadelphia’s 2019 playoff run ended. (Sorry, 76ers fans.)
The one intriguing thing that could make this trade more interesting to the 76ers is the fact that the first-rounders they could get would likely be in the very distant future. By that point, the Clippers could be a bottom-tier team, making the picks valuable. But that’s not enough for Philadelphia to seriously consider this trade.