The clock is about to officially start for the Philadelphia 76ers. After the kind of season they just had, it is incumbent on them to be even more proactive this offseason, lest they trim their chances of getting back to relevance next season and beyond.
While the 76ers do not necessarily to take any seismic measures to improve given the indubitable fact that injuries decimated them this season, the front office has already gotten a good look at the many red flags surrounding this ball club. Hence, no one would fault them if they decide to jettison those and usher in new solutions to their seemingly ceaseless issues for quite some time now.
Part and parcel — if not the outright bulk — of their problems stems from the huge cloud casted on the status of Joel Embiid moving forward. When he is healthy, he is still good enough to catapult the 76ers into solid playoff contention, but without him, this team is as good as cooked. There’s no other way to put it.
Superstar’s rock-bottom value means the 76ers should push for a trade now
Two years ago, the idea of trading Embiid seems unacceptable, but now, adopting the same disposition anent the superstar would be highly disingenuous. The 76ers cannot realistically operate to the effect that they can actually contend under a set-up where their superstar is a nightly toss-up when it comes to suiting up.
Yet ironically, a scenario that they could toy with is novating another superstar in his place, albeit touting the same injury-proneness. Apparently, some executives around the league are of the belief that Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson has seen his value wane so much that he could he had without even giving up draft capital.
That is probably a massive reach if we’re being honest, but it is not that far-flung from reality, either. New Orleans has some deep soul-searching to do if they want to live up to expectations, but they have been stuck in the same footing in recent years. Their trajectory, which should have been upwards, has flatlined.
The party holding the leverage in a Joel Embiid-Zion Williamson trade remains nebulous, but it’s probably worth a shot for both teams. But the moment the Pelicans try to gouge the price of their superstar, the 76ers should let it foreclose any shot at a deal.
Yet given Zion’s sheer talent, the Philadelphia 76ers could still deem this as a huge opportunity to bring in a much-needed breath of fresh air. It’s still too early to advocate for a call, but if the Joel Embiid situation continues to worsen, the front office has to make the obvious pivot.