The headlines about Joel Embiid’s cryptic comments made on Thursday at the UNINTERRUPTED Sports Film Festival took nearly four days to arrive — an eternity in this modern media landscape.
But when they did, with the Sixers star seeming to signal discontent by discussing the possibility of winning a title somewhere other than Philadelphia, it didn’t take long for speculation about what it all might mean to commence. Some media outlets played it straight, while others hinted at the possibility of larger, more dramatic implications. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes, meanwhile, took the reigning MVP to task for exuding a “Leadership deficit.” From there, you knew it wouldn’t be long before the betting sites chimed in because, well, it never is.
Advertisement
As I was writing this, in fact, an email from one such establishment popped into my inbox.
“Embiid trade odds has 8 teams listed…”
Yet for the sake of fairness to Embiid and the Sixers, let’s not crank up the hyperbole machine quite so quickly. Instead, we’re going to stick to the exact words that caused all of this commotion.
“I just want to win a championship — um, you know, whatever it takes,” he told UNINTERRUPTED CEO/LeBron James business manager Maverick Carter. “I don’t know where that’s going to be, whether it’s in Philly or anywhere else. I just want to have a chance to accomplish that. I want to see what it feels like to win that first one and then think about that next one. It’s not easy, but it takes more than one or two, three guys. You’ve got to have good people around you, and myself, you know, every single day I work hard to be at that level so I can produce and make it happen.”
If you strip down the actual message, there’s really not much to dissect here. Embiid, like so many athletes who have come before, expressed an interest in being a champion and indicated that it was a bigger priority than playing for the same NBA team for the entirety of his career. That’s hardly revelatory, especially in today’s Ringz culture era. And let’s not forget, to cite another similar example, that it was during these same dog days of summer a year ago when Giannis Antetokounmpo’s comments about possibly playing in Chicago were making the rounds.
As for the question of whether Embiid might be trying to leave Philly anytime soon, a high-ranking Sixers source told The Athletic that Embiid or his representatives have not shared any such message with the team. In fact, the organization’s belief remains that Embiid would love to go the way of Dirk Nowitzki or Kobe Bryant and stay with one team for his entire career. The source was granted anonymity because these sorts of matters aren’t typically discussed publicly.
Advertisement
Around the league, Embiid’s comments sparked the typical chatter about how the Knicks loomed as the greatest threat to lure him if he ever asked out. Embiid has three seasons left on his current contract, with a player option worth a projected $59 million for the 2026-27 season.
Embiid himself chimed in on the matter just a few hours after his remarks gained social media steam, when he seemed to indicate that he was merely living up to his long-standing reputation as the league’s biggest troll.
“Buddy check my middle name,” he tweeted from his “Joel ‘Troel’ Embiid’” account.
Buddy Check my middle name https://t.co/m9CtdaK4Kg
— Joel “Troel” Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 17, 2023
But because the NBA’s summer news cycle has slowed to a crawl, and because the James Harden saga has created so much uncertainty around the Sixers’ situation, Embiid’s words carry a different weight these days. The challenges that come with the Harden situation remain very real, though, and that’s where the Sixers would be well advised to find a resolution on that front sooner rather than later.
So long as Embiid doesn’t know what the roster looks like for next season, and whether he’ll be the only All-Star on it, it’s fair to wonder where his mind might wander when it comes to his future. A lack of clarity on the path ahead will always inspire one to consider different roads.
As Embiid has made clear both publicly and privately, his strong preference is for Harden to run it back next season after he opted into the final year of his deal.
“Disappointed, but then again, I also understand (that) it’s business,” Embiid told Showtime’s Rachel Nichols on July 9. “You know, people make decisions, and I’m more appreciative of the way he’s handled the whole situation. We’re gonna be boys forever. (I) want him to come back, obviously, so we can go out and accomplish what we want, which is to win a championship. So hopefully … his mindset can be changed. But other than that, I’m just so happy to be his friend. We’re close, and we’ve grown since he got (to Philadelphia), and that’s what I’m excited about. I’m excited to keep that friendship for the rest of our lives.”
Spoke to Joel Embiid about James Harden’s trade request – Embiid said he’s hopeful Harden’s “mindset can be changed.” The two were partying with @MichaelRubin last night at the @Fanatics/@TheNBPA Summer League blowout. pic.twitter.com/9sKwp3HGsg
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) July 10, 2023
Yet as I wrote on Thursday, Harden’s stance remains unchanged. He wants to leave Philly, and to play for the Clippers. Friendship aside, Embiid and Harden have competing objectives at the moment.
As for the Sixers, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has continued to ask for the kind of return in Harden trade talks that rival executives are convinced that he’s seriously considering keeping the former MVP. Yet might the Sixers, with Embiid’s happiness level in mind and training camp still two months away, be taking the patient route here with the hopes of maximizing their return and increasing their title odds along the way? You don’t have to be a detective to connect these dots.
Embiid’s words, more than anything, were a reminder that Morey’s next move on the Harden front could matter a great deal down the line.
(Photo of Joel Embiid: Bob DeChiara / USA Today)
