A season full of disappointments for Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers has ended with their prompt exit from the NBA Playoffs after falling 118-115 at home in Game 6 to the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. Between Embiid's meniscus injury and the 76ers' inability to sustain success without him, the 2023-24 season has left Philadelphia with major question marks heading into what will be a critical offseason. More importantly, losing to the Knicks in the first round now leads to a lot of uncertainty surrounding Embiid's overall commitment and future with the Sixers.
There is nobody to blame for Embiid's unfortunate injuries over the last few years, most of which have derailed the 76ers' potential success. Just this season, Philadelphia found itself right at the top of the Eastern Conference with the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks at 29-16 when Embiid suffered his meniscus injury. The Sixers finished the year at 47-35, winning only 16 games without their MVP.
The issues the 76ers have had with inconsistency next to Embiid and first-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey is the main reason why frustrations have set in for the superstar center. Could this loss to the Knicks be the inflection point of Embiid's career? At 30 years old and never making it past the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Philadelphia, Embiid is going to begin thinking about what the future may hold.
Joel Embiid's future with 76ers
The 76ers are set to have the ability to free up the second-most cap space out of any team in the league this summer. Tobias Harris, who made $39 million this season, is going to be a free agent in the offseason. Maxey is eligible for a massive extension due to the fact that he is going to be a restricted free agent. If they are unable to land another All-Star talent either in free agency or via trade, Embiid will have reason to begin having doubts about his future with the organization. In fact, these doubts may already be present, stemming from what the star said last summer.
“I just want to win a championship. Whatever it takes,” Embiid firmly stated regarding his future with the Sixers during an event last offseason. “I don't know where that's gonna be. Whether it's in Philly or anywhere else. I just want to have a chance.”
It seems like Embiid's frustrations have even been present during this postseason. Aside from dealing with ongoing knee problems and recently opening up about his struggle with Bell's palsy, Embiid called out Sixers fans for not filling up their home arena against the Knicks.
“Disappointing. I love our fans. Think it's unfortunate and I'm not calling them out, but it is disappointing. Obviously, you got a lot of Knicks fans and they're down the road and I've never seen it, and I've been here for 10 years,” Embiid told reporters after the team's Game 4 defeat in Philadelphia. “Yeah, it kind of pisses me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town. They've always shown up and I don't think that should happen. Yeah. It's not okay.”
Embiid is under contract with the 76ers through the 2026-27 season, a year in which he has a $59 million player option in his deal. The only way Embiid could leave the 76ers is if he requests a trade. At this moment, there is no telling if Philadelphia's star big man is thinking about wanting a change of scenery. Should he ask the Sixers' front office to trade him, Embiid will become the hottest name available in the summer, with virtually every other organization lining up to bid for his services.
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