Another day won’t go by without an NBA list reminding the Philadelphia 76ers that they might’ve overpaid the veteran center Joel Embiid. Until that contract expires—or Embiid helps the Sixers win a title—the conversation isn’t going anywhere.
But the latest rundown of the NBA’s worst contracts from CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn makes it clear that while the 76ers might have the league’s worst contract on the books, they couldn’t really upgrade their starting center spot using him as the key trade piece in a deal.
The reality of trading Joel Embiid
Quinn wasn’t all that complimentary to Embiid, mainly due to his lack of availability and ever-growing wear and tear. Here is the part that stood out:
“They need a center that defends and does the dirty work. That's not Embiid, so if their talent doesn't prove so overwhelming that it can overcome those flaws, you shouldn't be surprised if Embiid's name pops up in trade rumors. Given the size of this contract, though, moving him will almost certainly cost meaningful draft capital and perhaps involve taking a player on this list.”
The Sixers would have to get rid of one bad contract for another, but they wouldn’t be able to just do it for anybody. The Sixers don’t need a guard, as Tyrese Maxey is an improving two-time All-Star, while VJ Edgecombe is a rising star. Jaylen Brown was just acquired and has many years left in the tank, while LeBron James is simply not someone the Sixers are going to replace already.
So let’s look at the top centers. There is Jakob Poeltl at No. 4, who has four years worth $103.5 million on his deal. Getting down to No. 10, there is Domantas Sabonis, with $94.0 million left on his deal. Then, everybody’s favorite fake trade candidate for the Sixers, Anthony Davis, is No. 11. Davis makes the most sense, but there would be another problem brewing with him: His $121.2 million over two years is bad. The upcoming extension that he’s ready to demand will be even worse.
After seeing the court for 76 games in 2023-2024 with the Los Angeles Lakers, Davis played in 51 games in 2024-2025. In 2025-2026, he had 20 appearances with the Dallas Mavericks before getting traded to the Washington Wizards. Davis didn’t debut in DC at all in 2025-2026. The same injury concerns the Sixers have with Embiid could occur with Davis.
Joel Embiid is overpaid but not really replaceable
Are there dream candidates out there to replace Embiid? Sure, but dreams aren’t real. When healthy, there are very few centers in the NBA better than Joel Embiid. Some players are overpaid simply because their front office was way off with their projections and the player didn’t live up to the expectations.
When Embiid signed his deal, it was based on MVP-caliber production and the hope that he could stay just healthy enough to help the Sixers make a deep run. When Embiid is healthy, he’s a game-changer. He just showed that in the Boston Celtics series during the 2026 NBA Playoffs a few months ago. We all know the reality is that Embiid’s body hasn’t held up. But as these lists get revealed, it becomes clearer that the massive gamble probably shouldn’t be cashed out early because the other “bad” investments are low-reward.
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