Joel Embiid Trade Rumors Updated by NBA Insider After Daryl Morey Fired by 76ers

A big-for-big swap between the Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings is reportedly among the rumors making the rounds through NBA league circles currently.

According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, some "rival team strategists" have mentioned the possibility of the Sixers sending oft-injured center Joel Embiid to the Sacramento Kings for center Domantas Sabonis.

While intriguing, Fischer called the scenario a "longshot" before adding, "even longshot might be underselling it."

Although dominant when healthy, durability continues to be a massive concern when it comes to Embiid.

The 32-year-old veteran has appeared in fewer than 40 regular-season games in each of the past three seasons, and he has missed multiple playoff games during that time as well.

While trading Embiid and building around the core of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe would perhaps be the ideal scenario for Philly, it won't be easy to find any takers.

Embiid signed a three-year, $187.87 million contract extension with the 76ers in 2024, meaning he is under contract at an estimated salary cap hit of nearly $58 million next season and over $62 million in 2027-28 before a $67 million player option for 2028-29 comes into play.

The 76ers fired president of basketball operations Daryl Morey on Tuesday, and multiple executives told Fischer they felt extending Embiid "was the true fireable misstep."

Embiid is a seven-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion and one-time NBA MVP, but he has simply become too unreliable because of injuries, particularly to his knees.

Embiid averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 blocks per contest in 38 games this season, helping the Sixers reach the playoffs. He also had some great moments in a first-round playoff triumph over the Boston Celtics.

However, he missed three games during that series and one during the second-round series against the New York Knicks, which saw Philly get swept.

Fischer speculated that the Sixers will likely need to attach draft capital to Embiid in order to move him, but with the anticipated change of the NBA draft lottery system to one that includes 16 teams in the lottery and the teams with the fourth- through 10th-worst records sharing the best chance to land the No. 1 overall pick, trading future firsts would be a risky endeavor.

As a result, Fischer noted that sources have told him to "expect no definitive effort this offseason" from the 76ers to trade Embiid.