Another early playoff exit has the 76ers reeling for answers. Is Doc Rivers a flawed coach? Can Joel Embiid stay healthy? Can Ben Simmons develop a reliable jumper?
But perhaps the most important question of all has been the one this team has struggled to answer for years now: can Embiid and Simmons co-exist?
A partnership that, at times, seems like an odd and awkward fit has always been the reality for the star duo, and many believe it’s time to give up on trying to make things work.
So, amid trade rumors about Mr. Simmons, it’s only right that the Sixers gauge the situation on Embiid as well. And, according to Brian Windhorst, the big man will play a role in how the team proceeds with no. 25.
“Joel EMbiid could potentially play a very large role. He is under contract, but he is eligible for the supermax contract extension this offseason. But before that conversation can take place, you know that Daryl Morey is going to come to him and discuss the future of the organization. You do not sign your franchise player to a contract like that before having frank discussions. Same situation happened in Houston when Daryl Morey was running that team.
So Joel Embiid will have the opportunity to weigh in on what he would need to be in the future…”
(start at 2:32)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tegvayP1qhg
Daryl Morey has a number of big decisions to make this offseason. Depending on what Joel Embiid says about the future of the team, Morey will have to figure out what to do with Simmons and (if he decides to trade him) what kind of trade offer to accept for him.
No doubt, if Ben is put on the block, many teams throughout the league will be interested.
But whether or not they’ll offer Philadelphia anything worthwhile remains to be seen.
Either way, it will be a big summer for the Sixers, and Joel Embiid will have a sizeable role to play in it all.
