Unlike last season, the Philadelphia 76ers started the regular season with Joel Embiid being active and actually playing. Both the medical and coaching staffs have implemented a strict cap on his workload early on and kept him out of back-to-backs to keep him as fresh as possible, but as people might have already foreseen, the superstar has still been missing a lot of games.
Embiid has appeared in just six games so far this season, and has missed the last seven outings due to an issue with his right knee. It is actually his left knee which is chronically injured, but it seems like his other one bore the brunt of having to compensate for the former. Entering Tuesday, Embiid is listed as questionable to play, but it does not change the fact that his recurring absences should be accepted as a norm moving forward.
Over time, many have grown weary of having to almost play a game of chance with Embiid, who is arguably the most injury-prone superstar in the NBA. Thus, it is not surprising if in the near future, the fans will start lobbying for him to get traded. However, that begs the question of whether or not there is even a team out there who would think of wanting to acquire him.
The 76ers are simply stuck with Joel Embiid
Aside from the fact that Embiid is now on the wrong side of 30 and has an exhaustive track record of troubling injuries that continue to bug him, the other reason why trading him is almost a tall tale at this point is thee fact that his contract is also one of the most undesirable ones in the entire association.
The mammoth three-year, $188.2 million extension he signed last year does not even start until the 2026-27 begins, meaning that a team will have to be comfortable paying him that kind of money for the next three years after this current campaign.
With all teams virtually avoiding the tax aprons like the plague, there is probably no team out there who would even entertain the thought of trading for Embiid. Heck, that very scenario is well beyond the mere act of taking a risk — it is simply flat-out unwise.
As a result, the 76ers do not really have a way out of Embiid and his gargantuan contract. Him and the coaching staff will have to find a way to make this partnership work, especially since it is guaranteed to last. Unfortunately to those who want him to seek refuge elsewhere, their wish is as good as a moot one.