5 Teams That Should Call Philadelphia About Joel Embiid

Say what you want about Joel Embiid’s recent playoff performances. He is still the reigning NBA MVP and one of the best players in the world. He’s one of the most talented big men many of us will ever see, but his clock is ticking.

In a recent interview with Maverick Carter, Embiid spoke about how he wants to win a championship “whether it’s in Philly or anywhere else,” setting off alarms in the NBA community. While blame certainly can be put on Embiid for not getting the job done in the postseason, he has a right to be frustrated, as the 76ers have continually failed at putting a complementary team around him. If the 76ers fumble about how they handle Harden’s trade request, Embiid very well could be asking soon. Here are five teams who should be calling Philly about acquiring Embiid.

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• New York Knicks

The Knicks have been linked with Embiid for a while now, as they are lurking on the sidelines for him. If and when that happens, the Knicks are expected to be the frontrunner, and the match makes perfect sense. While an in-division trade is hard to foresee, the Knicks have been hoarding assets waiting for a star to become available. They swung and missed on Donovan Mitchell last offseason, having the picks and young players needed to make a trade of this caliber.

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• Brooklyn Nets

Brooklyn has been perceived to be in the mix as they look to bring in a fresh superstar after the big three experiment crashed and burned. Again, Brooklyn has the assets to make a trade, given the draft ammo they hold from Phoenix and better young players to make a deal. Mikal Bridges surely would need to be in the package for this trade to happen, and if Brooklyn is willing to build a package around him, allowing Bridges to return home to Philly, that would be the best offer the Sixers can probably get.

• Dallas Mavericks

I’m drooling now just thinking about it, but imagine a big three of Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Joel Embiid. They’d walk to a title. I don’t care who else is on the team. It could be one of the best teams we ever see if you allow Luka and Kyrie to do their magic with Embiid roaming the middle on both ends of the floor. I may sound bullish, and I have no clue how the Mavs would pull it off by this time next year unless one of their young prospects looks to be a potential star in the making, but from a basketball standpoint, there wouldn’t be a better place for Embiid to land.

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• Miami Heat

Embiid will forever be linked to the Miami Heat, given his very open friendship with Jimmy Butler, and in Damian Lillard fashion, I don’t think it would surprise anyone if Embiid were to force his way to South Beach. He’d reunite with his old pal, join a team that likely would have Damian Lillard at that point, and contend for a title perrenially. Miami likely won’t have any desirable assets to trade besides Bam Adebayo after the Lillard deal goes down, so this trade would be unlikely, but Embiid certainly would have the Heat on his short list of potential landing spots. 

• Oklahoma City Thunder

Who knows if Embiid is open to moving to Oklahoma City, but at some point, the Thunder will need to trade their draft picks for a return. The Thunder are littered with young assets from top to bottom, and acquiring Embiid is the kind of move they’d make to put themselves in contention. A deal would obviously include a war chest of picks, with the Sixers having their choice of anyone on the roster not named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and probably Chet Holmgren. The Thunder can outbid anyone; sooner or later, they will need to spend their draft capital on something drastic. 

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