The Philadelphia 76ers weren't too active this summer and have a disgruntled star on their hands in James Harden. There were rumors they could try to reunite with Jrue Holiday, but he was ultimately traded to the Boston Celtics. After that deal happened, Joel Embiid came out and tweeted this:

One would take that as slightly cryptic. However, Daryl Morey clarified on Monday at Media Day that conversations with the big man have been nothing but positive ahead of the 2023-24 season. There are no signs of Embiid being unhappy.

Via Sam DiGiovanni:

“That's a better question for Joel…All I know is in our private conversations and public conversations, we know he has been a great leader for this team and someone who is putting in the work.”

In a perfect world, Harden decides to repair his relationship with the Sixers. I'm also sure Embiid wishes Philadelphia went out and added another star this offseason but it didn't happen. For what it's worth though, the Cameroonian clarified that tweet was all in fun.

If The Beard doesn't return, it's hard to imagine the Sixers making a title run. Joel Embiid is great and Tyrese Maxey will surely make another jump. However, they need another star who can elevate them to championship status. That may not even be Harden because as we've seen in the last two seasons, he's been wildly inconsistent in the playoffs and evidently wants to be the No. 1 option elsewhere.

On a more positive note, Embiid is the reigning MVP who is one of the most dominant players in the Association. If he can actually stay healthy throughout the entire regular season and playoffs, they could be in the mix in the East when it matters most.