With the NBA reportedly set to vote on expanding by adding two teams in Las Vegas and Seattle, the long overdue expansion in the league could see the light of day before 2028, which is what appears to be their target date to usher in new franchises. For the Philadelphia 76ers, though, this presents a huge opportunity for them to cut ties with Joel Embiid.
As everyone already knows, adding two new teams will entail an extraordinary mechanism — the expansion draft. Each team gets to keep up to eight of their players, and all those who don’t get protected will form a pool from which those teams can pick from. Another rule is that players on expiring deals and impending restricted free agents cannot be protected. That is precisely why the 76ers can reasonably bid adieu to Embiid through the novel draft.
Of course, not everything will be under their control in that situation. Things will still depend on how the expected teams in Las Vegas and Seattle will go about with their selections in the draft. Still, this remains a sterling window for Philadelphia to get massive cap relief and an impetus to finally and truly pivot toward the future.
The 76ers can part ways with Joel Embiid in the expansion draft
Embiid has a $67 million player option for the 2028-29 season which he will surely exercise. After, aside from the sheer amount it entails, he would already be in the twilight of his career at that juncture. And as an injury-prone star, there is no other option for him but to tap into his player option and rake in that money.
When the expansion draft comes in 2028, he would be on an expiring deal, meaning that the 76ers cannot protect him under the previous rules (which remain unchanged for now). Now, why would Las Vegas or Seattle even want someone like him in their books? Well, if those teams want to enhance their allure in the open market, they need players who can help them get competitive to some degree and not just become a run-of-the-mill bunch.
Embiid, who would be on an expiring deal anyway, will be an ideal player to fill that function. When healthy, he is still an unstoppable force on the offensive end. HIs post game should age like fine wine even if his body might break down first. At the very least, he can help those expansion clubs appeal to free agents.
Obviously, there is a lot of “should’s” that must occur for this situation to happen, but the 76ers now at least have a tenable way to free themselves from the shackles of Joel Embiid’s contract. That is still a huge improvement from the current status quo, where they have no way out from him.