Joel Embiid Rumors: 76ers Star's Relationship with Daryl Morey 'Undeniably Dented'

The Philadelphia 76ers may have finally traded James Harden, but it does not appear president of basketball operations Daryl Morey's stress is ending any time soon.

Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein reported the relationship between Morey and reigning MVP Joel Embiid has been "undeniably dented" by the Harden saga. Embiid has cryptically hinted at displeasure on social media this offseason but has hidden it behind the guise of his publicly trollish persona.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported the situation has become tense enough that Morey is expected to continue exploring adding star-level help this season rather than waiting until the offseason.

The Sixers have Embiid under contract for at least the next three seasons, but we've seen how little that can matter when a star becomes disgruntled. It's likely Embiid will play out at least this season and give Morey a chance to bolster the roster around him before making any rash decisions, but the All-Star big man has also made it abundantly clear he wants to win titles.

"I just want to win a championship. Whatever it takes. I don't know where that's gonna be, whether it's in Philly or anywhere else, I just want to have a chance to accomplish that," Embiid told Maverick Carter over the summer. "I wanna see what it feels like to win that first one and then think about the next one. It's not easy, but it takes more than one, two, three guys. You gotta have good people around you."

The reality is that Embiid turns 30 in March and has never gotten past the second round of the playoffs. While we can all acknowledge his own injuries play a large factor in that fact, there's also likely a finite amount of time he can reasonably expect to compete as a 1A superstar. Embiid, even at his most healthy, is a 65-game-per-season player.

The clock is ticking for Morey, and he knows it. Don't be surprised if the Sixers are major buyers ahead of the February deadline.