Joel Embiid Trade Rumors: 76ers Star 'Very Much Untouchable' amid Knicks Links
The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly have no plans to trade superstar center Joel Embiid on the heels of his MVP-winning season.
According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Embiid is "very much untouchable," due in part to the fact that they "won't come close to getting equal value" for him in a potential deal.
Pompey's report comes on the heels of Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reporting this month that Embiid is a "guy to watch" for the New York Knicks if the Sixers were to make him available.
The 29-year-old Embiid has been one of the most dominant players in the NBA over the past several seasons, earning six consecutive All-Star selections.
In 2021-22, Embiid won his first scoring title with 30.6 points per game to go along with 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals en route to finishing second in the NBA MVP voting behind Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić.
He followed that up with a second straight scoring title this season at a career-high 33.1 points per game, plus averages of 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.0 steal.
This time, Embiid was named NBA MVP, ending Jokić's string of MVP Awards at two in a row.
As great as Embiid was again in 2022-23, the end result was the same for the Sixers, as they were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in seven games in the second round of the playoffs.
The 76ers have reached the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, coinciding with Embiid elevating himself to All-Star status. They have fallen in the second round in five of those seasons, however, and had one first-round exit as well.
Star guard James Harden is viewed as a candidate to leave in free agency this offseason, and if that happens, it would leave Philly with a core of Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris.
The Sixers can compete with that group, but replacing Harden would be a difficult task and possibly put the 76ers off the pace set by the Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat.
It is fair to wonder if that scenario would at least make the Sixers think about trading Embiid, but doing so would be an admission of defeat and it would also be a case of Philadelphia parting ways with the face of the franchise.
Embiid has never reached the 70-game mark in a season and injuries have been a huge issue for him, but there is no question that a healthy Embiid gives the 76ers their best chance to win.
The 76ers have undoubtedly been frustrated by their playoff shortcomings over the past several years, but players like Embiid don't come around often, so it seems more likely that the Sixers will ride the Embiid train for as long as they can in hopes of eventually winning a title rather than jumping off when he still has plenty left in the tank.
