The Philadelphia 76ers have made it clear that they will not be shying away from trying to win as many games as they can despite the perceived state of flux they supposedly find themselves in at present. Ture enough, this roster is built to win now, and there is literally zero incentives for the front office to blow this thing up and conduct an immediate fire sale.
However, the truth of the matter is that such disposition is not only because the 76ers refuse to get to that point — they also just cannot do so. Philly, as constructed, is largely stuck with whatever deck they have for better or for worse. Still, it will make much more narrative sense to zoom in on the negative ones.
There is the Paul George situation which has only gotten uglier with each passing month. The 76ers committed a lot of money for him last year, but so far, he has been so not worth the ample investment. Not only is he perennially injured, but he has also seen his production dip to a great degree, casting a huge cloud on his ability to reprise his All-Star form.
The 76ers have a huge problem with Joel Embiid and his albatross contract
Yet even that pales in comparison to what the 76ers will have to deal with moving forward — the mammoth known as Joel Embiid’s contract. The former MVP’s albatross contract clocks in as one of the absolute worst deals in the NBA, thanks in large part to him being the most unreliable star in the NBA when it comes to the most important skill an athlete could have — availability.
As pointed out here, the Embiid contract will go down as a pretty debilitating one when the time comes for the 76ers front office to start handing out extensions to their sterling prospects. Embiid signed a three-year, $193 million max extension with the 76ers that runs through the 2028–29 season, which is picturesque for him but ultimately gross for the franchise.
Absolutely no one will be trading for Embiid given his contract — that is as clear as day. He is getting up there in age, and his production seems to be heading to a permanent decline. And if we are being honest, Embiid is probably closer to walking away from the sport than we think, although his colossal payday will prevent him from calling quits on his career.
Now, this is something the 76ers brought upon themselves. Unfortunately, while it is likewise incumbent upon them to mitigate this issue, there really is not a way out. That is the toughest pill to swallow in this regard.