The Philadelphia 76ers have been at the forefront of the NBA newsstands recently thanks to the league officially launching an investigation into Joel Embiid and his player participation, primarily due to him and the team openly admitting that his appearances would be limited moving forward as part of the plan to manage his load.
But obviously, the move was met with considerable derision, especially from fans and pundits. The NBA investigating the matter is a testament to how everyone feels about the uber-conservative approach despite it being warranted in light of Embiid’s injury-proneness.
However, there could be a future for the 76ers with the 2023 Most Valuable Player out of the picture, and this recent spill somehow hints at the franchise at least being open to it.
Are the 76ers silently preparing for life without Joel Embiid?
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the 76ers are potential suitors for Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga, the promising forward who somehow failed to agree to a rookie extension with the franchise. As a result, he will be a restricted free agent this offseason, and the Warriors will likley be forced into making a tough decision as some team would probably hand him a lofty offer sheet.
The 76ers currently don’t have the financial machinations to tender an offer to Kuminga, but they can certainly take a bold turn and do the presently inconceivable — moving on from Embiid who, despite still playing at the peak of his powers, has become too unreliable on the injury front.
Will Philadelphia be brave enough to shift its focus and build around Tyrese Maxey instead while adding young players like Kuminga? The pathway is definitely there, and an avenue that gets him to Golden State with a lucrative sign-and-trade is not out of the woods.
Of course, everything will still depend on how the 76ers fare this season, but another beauty of having Embiid in the fold is that he’d be an earth-shaking asset to have and usher in a massive paradigm shift for the franchise if it feels the needs to do so.
It’s likely not going to happen in the foreseeable future, but that could be one possible way for the Philadelphia 76ers to proceed to a future without its current centerpiece.