The Philadelphia 76ers can’t keep building around Joel Embiid given his injury history. Daryl Morey should be creating their roster around Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and the third overall pick in the 2025 draft, VJ Edgecombe. Embiid won MVP in 2023 but has only played 58 games in the last two seasons combined. He is under a nightmare contract through 2029, and the Sixers can’t expect him to consistently be on the floor.
Philly has young talent. Maxey is only 24 years old and already has an All-Star appearance under his belt. McCain was a factor in the Rookie of the Year race before a knee injury limited him to 23 games. The 21-year-old has All-Star potential and looks like one of the steals of the 2024 draft. The 76ers just added another premier talent on a rookie contract to give them three young building blocks.
Embiid and Paul George are weighing down their books, but the Sixers have a strong young core that is worth building around. They should focus on putting them in the best positions to succeed and maximizing their ceilings. That means shifting the focus away from Embiid.
Joel Embiid should no longer be the 76ers' franchise player
Embiid is only 31, but his production dipped mightily last season when he played. The repeated knee injuries are a worry, and he would not be the first seven-footer to see his prime cut short because he can't stay healthy. Embiid may never be the same, and the Sixers certainly cannot expect him to provide consistent elite production.
That doesn’t mean Philly should trade him. Embiid has four years left on his contract and is set to make $69 million in 2029. Morey should explore the market, but teams will be deathly afraid of taking on that deal. The Sixers can't attach multiple draft picks to dump him. They should shift their focus and look at Embiid as the cherry on their sundae. It is great to have, but still delicious without it.
Maxey, McCain, and Edgecombe are an elite young core with significant upside. It is all about finding pieces that fit around them. Philadelphia should be looking for young talent that can grow with them. Players like Justin Edwards make sense. It is the 76ers' quickest path back to contention with two massive and untradeable contracts on their books.
VJ Edgecombe is a versatile guard with unqiue skill set. All three are guards, but Edgecombe plays bigger than size. He is a stout defender and shot maker that should excite Philly fans. He fits in any lineup and will enhance the Sixers in every way.
The Philadelphia 76ers just added an exciting young talent, and the future should be now for the franchise. They should officially end the Joel Embiid era. Morey and the front office should be exclusively building around their three premium young talents if they want to avoid a total disaster. If not, things will only get worse. Make the right call or face the consequences.