No, Joel Embiid hasn’t requested a trade from the Sixers. No, the Sixers haven’t shown a willingness to trade Joel Embiid (why would they?). However, the belief is that the reigning MVP will be the next big-name star to hit the trade market, which would allow the New York Knicks to pursue him at long last.
Philadelphia isn’t in the most desirable spot right now, as the team is coming off yet another loss in the second round of the playoffs, and James Harden’s future isn’t clear. The Sixers’ main priority should be to put together a championship-caliber roster around Embiid, but that has yet to happen.
If Embiid were to request a trade in the coming year, it’d happen either before the February trade deadline or next offseason. Either way, if New York is still in a position to go after the star center, expect the Knicks to be at the forefront of trade conversations.
5 events that must happen for Joel Embiid to officially be Knicks trade target
5: Sixers don’t trade away their future for a star this offseason
The Sixers are in a position where if they can’t convince James Harden to stay (or at least play if they won’t trade him), Philadelphia will need to be aggressive on the trade market. Considering that Harden is still intent on leaving, the Sixers may need to mortgage their future on a Damian Lillard trade.
Philadelphia isn’t Lillard’s number-one destination, but it’d be hard to see Dame being against playing with Joel Embiid. After Lillard requested a trade on the second day of free agency, the Sixers emerged as a team interested in the seven-time All-Star. The Lillard trade talks have generally stalled, with the Trail Blazers understandably wanting a sizable haul in return.
What would it take for Philadelphia to get Dame? Well, for starters, Tyrese Maxey. Sending the 22-year-old to Portland is easily a move that could come back to haunt Philadelphia, but it would pair a star alongside Embiid.
The Sixers desperately need to be in a win-now mode to capitalize on Embiid’s success. He’s in his prime, and rather than let another Ben Simmons situation develop with Harden, Philadelphia has to prioritize putting together a winning roster around Embiid.
4: Sixers don’t make moves at the deadline to appease Joel Embiid
If the Sixers lose James Harden and don’t make a move for a player like Damian Lillard, all eyes will be on Philadelphia leading up to the trade deadline. This past season, the Sixers were No. 2 in the East behind the Celtics, but it’s hard to envision the team being in a similar position in February 2024.
The NBA is a league where stars become available year-round so a surprise name could be on the market in February. Remember how Kevin Durant was traded to the Suns in the middle of the night? Anything can happen.
If Philadelphia is in a position to trade for a star, you better believe it’s a move that Daryl Morey will need to consider seriously. Rather than being another second-round exit in the playoffs (or even a first-round exit), the deadline could be the Sixers’ last big chance to pair a star alongside Embiid to make what they hope will be a deep playoff run.
Perhaps a quiet deadline that leads to yet another unsuccessful postseason push will be one of the last dominoes to fall before Embiid is made available. It isn’t far-fetched to think that Embiid himself could be on the market ahead of the deadline.
3: Joel Embiid has another MVP-esque regular season
Joel Embiid is coming off the best season of his career. He averaged a career-high 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 66 games, shooting 54.8% from the floor and 33% from three. Of course, his efforts were awarded as he was named the 2022-23 NBA MVP.
He’ll likely be back in the conversation for MVP in 2023-24, especially if James Harden is gone. Embiid will continue to be who the Sixers’ offense runs through. What will happen if he has another career year that results in another failed playoff run?
Embiid’s already gotten his MVP trophy, and what’s next for him is a championship trophy. The individual success that he’s received in the regular season won’t mean much if Philadelphia is stuck watching the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals from home.
In an interview with UNINTERRUPTED’s Maverick Carter, Embiid said he wants to win a title with the Sixers or another team. Embiid took to Twitter to imply that he was being a troll, and Daryl Morey said in a radio interview that the center wants to win a championship for Philadelphia. Still, the odds of that happening aren’t looking the best.
2: James Harden stands firm by trade request
James Harden opted into his $35.6 million player option for 2023-24, but that was done so he and the Sixers could work on a trade. A little over a year after requesting to be traded from Brooklyn to Philadelphia, Harden wants to go back home to Los Angeles to play for the Clippers.
Harden was spotted at Michael Rubin’s white party in the Hamptons hanging out with his Sixers teammates and was even seen speaking privately with team owner Josh Harris. That led fans to believe that maybe Harden was considering staying in Philadelphia, but that belief turned out to be untrue.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick (subscription required), “Harden’s stance has not changed.” He still wants to go to the Clippers. Daryl Morey, who was in Houston with Harden, helped to lure the former MVP to the Sixers, but Harden reportedly isn’t happy with how Morey handled his 2023 free agency. Harden took a pay cut last summer so that Philadelphia could have financial flexibility, and he was hoping to be rewarded with a more than desirable contract this summer.
Joel Embiid admitted to Showtime’s Rachel Nichols that he was “disappointed” by Harden’s trade request and that he hopes the guard will change his mindset. Given that Harden’s mindset seems to be the same as when he requested a trade, Embiid might’ve already played his last game with Harden.
The last thing that the Sixers should want is for Harden’s displeasure to extend into training camp and the 2023-24 season, which might be familiar because that happened with Ben Simmons. Embiid’s in his prime, and Philadelphia has to capitalize on that, and losing Harden would put the Sixers in a tough spot.
1: Sixers fail to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals
The Sixers haven’t made it to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001. Philadelphia has come up short in the semifinals in five of the last six seasons.
Entering Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals a couple of months ago, the Sixers had a 3-2 series lead. All they had to do was win at least one of the next two games, but the Celtics stole both to advance to the ECF. Not even Game 7 was enough to motivate Joel Embiid and James Harden. The former scored only 15 points, shooting 5-of-18 from the field.
Embiid’s had his issues in the playoffs, so part of the blame for Philadelphia’s inability to make a deep playoff run can be placed on him. It’s reasonable enough to think if Embiid remains on the Sixers’ roster for the entirety of the 2023-24 season, another dud postseason push could be enough to warrant a trade request from Embiid.
The Knicks came up short of advancing to the ECF this past season, but the team still made a big jump from 2021-22. Most of the reason for that was Jalen Brunson, who solidified himself as a star in his first year in New York. The Knicks could be one star trade away from being labeled as contenders, and could that star be Joel Embiid?
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