After yet another ouster in the playoffs without reaching the Conference Finals, the Philadelphia 76ers are once again hot customers in the rumor mill. But so far, most, if not all, of the noise has been guesswork and speculations. Case in point? Look no further than the Joel Embiid trade proposal floated around social media as of late.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer (subscription required), sources around the league believe that a trade framework that could be tenable is a swap involving Embiid and Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis. However, Fischer notes that even calling it a long shot is an understatement owing to the fact that Embiid's market is not exactly robust at this juncture.
Well, frankly speaking, while that claim has a lot of credence to it, it sounds like Fischer is implying that the 76ers are the ones looking for a favor in that trade framework when in fact, the Kings are not exactly going to be offering anything attractive enough for Philly to part with the face of the franchise. Sabonis is not too far away from his last All-Star season, but skill-wise, he is far from what Embiid is.
The 76ers will surely laugh their hearts out at this absurd Joel Embiid trade proposal
They will never admit it, but trading Embiid has to be one of the highly desired moves for the 76ers. However, his contract situation is a huge deterrent in and of itself, and there is only a very slim chance that they can find a willing taker for his mammoth deal, which only kicks in next season.
However, even if they ship Embiid away, the 76ers will want a ceiling-raiser. Sabonis is simply not that kind of star. While he is a fantasy league and stats darling, there are far too many flaws with his game while his strengths can only be highlighted with a roster tailor-made for him.
The only edge Sabonis has over Embiid is playmaking. The Lithuanian, after all, is probably the second-best passing big man in the league behind Nikola Jokic. One can argue that he is also a much better rebounder than the former MVP, although that can be tossed up to Embiid no longer focusing on that end to preserve his body.
When it comes to scoring, Embiid is untouchable among big men. On defense, while he has waned on that end due to his declining laterals and mobility, he is still a lot more serviceable than Sabonis, who is known for being a poor rim protector.
The Philadelphia 76ers have not yet shown the kind of desperation that will make them actively shop Joel Embiid, but even if they do, a one-on-one swap with the Kings for Domantas Sabonis is a huge concession –– not for Sacramento, but for Philly.
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