Embiid made an effort to minimise his remarks on Twitter.
After it was revealed last month that James Harden wants to be dealt, the Philadelphia 76ers are currently considering another potential franchise-changing move. Harden chose to accept the $35.6 million he is owed for the upcoming season rather than opting out, as many predicted he would do to become an unrestricted free agency. He also asked the Sixers for a trade. Despite the fact that no prospective deal for him has materialised, given the nature of elite players’ trade requests, he will probably ultimately get what he wants.
However, Harden’s unexpected choice puts Philadelphia in a difficult position once more after dealing with a similar trade request with Ben Simmons only two years ago, which led to them acquiring Harden. The Sixers now have to play the waiting game to find a deal strong enough that would offer them excellent assets while dumping Harden rather than starting the upcoming season with Harden, recently crowned MVP Joel Embiid, and a retooled core to attempt to make another run at a championship.
For the Sixers, who have continually endured upheaval ever since they acquired Jimmy Butler and later moved him, it’s nothing new. Butler has since made two trips to the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat. Embiid is just one of many famous athletes who have grown weary of competing but never succeeding, even though the Sixers have managed to stay title contenders during all that upheaval.
Although there haven’t been any reports of Embiid growing weary in Philadelphia, he made remarks over the weekend that implied the Sixers should at least consider the idea that their star would ask out a girl at some point in the future. Embiid expressed his ambition to win a championship during a speech at the Uninterrupted Film Festival, and while he said it might take place in Philadelphia, he also left the door open for it to happen elsewhere.
Embiid stated, “I just want to win a championship, whatever it takes. “I don’t know where that will be; whether it’s in Philadelphia or somewhere else, all I want is the opportunity to make that happen. Before you consider the next one, I want to experience what it’s like to win the first one. It requires more than one, two, or three guys; it is not simple. You need to surround yourself with good people, and I work hard every day to get that level so I can deliver and bring about change.
The Sixers front office should be at least a little bit concerned by those remarks. Philadelphia has never been able to advance even to the conference finals, and while Embiid’s health has always played a role, the club has never lived up to expectations even when he is healthy. It also doesn’t help that the Sixers were involved in two significant trade demands from Simmons and Harden, as well as a deal to send Butler to Miami, where he and the Heat continue to deteriorate with each trip to the Finals.
Embiid did reply to some of the online discussion surrounding his remarks by indicating on Twitter that he was trolling while making an effort to minimise the remarks.
Buddy Check my middle name https://t.co/m9CtdaK4Kg
— Joel “Troel” Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 17, 2023
The Sixers have strong players surrounding Embiid, and it is hoped that Nick Nurse will be the head coach who succeeds Doc Rivers and Brett Brown in getting this club over the finish line. However, if Philadelphia keeps losing in the second round, Embiid might be the next big player on the market for a new team.
