The Philadelphia 76ers gained notoriety in the mid-2010s when they blew up their roster and began their infamous process that entailed bottoming out to earn the chance to grab some of the best draft prospects in all of basketball. And it's not like it didn't work, even though it has yet to bear a championship as its fruit; by tanking, the Sixers got Joel Embiid, the winner of the 2023 Most Valuable Player award, and set themselves up for contention, having made the playoffs for the past six seasons with the star big man at the heart of their efforts.
Alas, the Sixers, despite making some shrewd moves over the years to round out the roster, have yet to progress beyond the second round of the playoffs during this stretch. And in almost all of those years, there always seems to be a flashpoint moment that derails the Sixers' promising playoff run.
In 2019, it was Kawhi Leonard who hit the mother of all daggers; in 2021, it was Ben Simmons' passed-up layup that soiled the Sixers' momentum (not to mention Embiid's eight turnovers) in Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks; while in 2023, allowing Jayson Tatum to explode for 16 fourth quarter points, in a night where he went 1-14 at one point, proved to be their undoing en route to a seven-game series loss to the Boston Celtics.
The Sixers' misfortunes over the past few years have led some to believe that major changes may be afoot for the franchise, especially after the firing of Doc Rivers. But can those major changes somehow include blowing it up completely by trading away Joel Embiid?
Trading away the reigning MVP is never a good idea. That is a hard sell for any franchise towards their fans. But there are always pros and cons to every decision. Here we are weighing the pros as to why the Sixers must do the unthinkable and trade away Embiid.
Time to kickstart The Process 2.0?
It certainly looks like deciding to blow it up right after a hard-fought series against one of the best teams in the world in the Celtics is a short-sighted, kneejerk reaction. After all, the Sixers have all the makings of a championship contender; with Joel Embiid, a dominant two-way force, leading the way, Philly will have a chance at winning a ring every season as long as their talisman remains healthy. If things break right, like circumstances did for the 2011 Dallas Mavericks or 2021 Milwaukee Bucks, then why couldn't the Sixers win it all?
But with the Sixers falling short year after year, frustration may be brewing. Plenty of teams will be pursuing Embiid in a potential trade should the Sixers make him available, and recent history suggests that the Sixers would get a package consisting of a high-tier starter (or even an All-Star level talent), role players, and a boatload of picks if they let go of the reigning MVP.
Just look at the trade return the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns received for Rudy Gobert and Kevin Durant, respectively. With all due respect to those two, especially Durant, Joel Embiid's trade value is higher, given his two-way impact, age (relative to Durant), and his status as the MVP.
Thus, if the Sixers decide to look towards the future, cashing in on Embiid as a trade asset may be the best way to set themselves up for the next five to ten years.
Postseason woes
It's not like Joel Embiid has been an out-and-out terrible player for the Sixers in the playoffs. Embiid has had his moments of brilliance under the bright lights of the postseason, but his terrible games have come at terrible moments. Most recently, Embiid (and co-star James Harden) failed to rise to the occasion, struggling in Game 7 against the Celtics. During that fateful game, Embiid, a man who averaged around 33 points in the regular season on 54.8 percent shooting, put up a measly 15 points on 5-18 shooting. That is inexcusable for someone who fancies himself as the best player in the association.
Even in 2021 against the Hawks, Embiid had terrible moments; he disappeared when the Sixers needed him to be a calming presence amid the Hawks' rousing Game 5 comeback, and then in Game 7, he just could not take care of the basketball.
Joel Embiid's injury troubles in the playoffs are also worth mentioning; while suffering injuries isn't particularly his fault (his eye injury during the 2022 playoffs was definitely out of his control), his knees haven't shown the capability to withstand the heavy workload of the playoffs, suffering two different knee injuries during the 2021 and 2023 playoffs.
As the Los Angeles Clippers know, in the playoffs, availability is the best ability, particularly for an MVP-caliber player. Dealing away Embiid allows the Sixers to rid themselves of the risk of yet another inopportune injury.
(Again, it must be said that the Sixers' best course of action is to keep Embiid, but that is not the purpose of this exercise.)
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