Joel Embiid is generally viewed as a top-10 player across the league. The 76ers superstar has shown his ability to dominate on the court as a multi-skilled big man with a throwback interior game. He’s certainly very talented, and over the course of the playoffs, Embiid averaged 28.1 PPG and 10.5 RPG, while shooting very efficiently and playing some spectacular defense.
However, there are only a select few players that are truly untouchable in the league, and Joel Embiid knows that. There have been plenty of trade rumors that have surrounded Embiid’s co-star, Ben Simmons. It has been reported that Ben Simmons is “more than interested” in playing for another franchise, and it seems as though he will not play another game in a Sixers uniform.
When talking about trade rumors as a whole, Embiid stated that “you just have to deal with them”. After all, trades are just part of the league. Joel Embiid used a hypothetical example of a trade featuring himself, suggesting that the Sixers would accept a deal for him if it were to involve Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Joel Embiid on trade rumors: "You just have to deal with them. … If the Warriors called and offered Steph and Klay for me, do you think the Sixers would say no to that? … I wouldn't say no to that."
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) September 27, 2021
While it is highly unlikely that the Golden State Warriors would ever offer that, it seems as though Embiid is simply suggesting that he isn’t untradeable, even as a superstar. We’ve seen superstar players move from team to team via trade, with franchises often giving up fairly big packages featuring young prospects and draft picks in order to get top-tier talent on their squad. For the majority of superstar players, there are trades that would entice a GM to move them, even if those hypothetical trades require a lot from the team trying to get the player.
It is doubtful that Joel Embiid gets moved in the near future, as he recently signed a 4-year $196 million supermax with the Philadelphia 76ers. He is beloved by a lot of fans in the city and has the right attitude to be a Sixer for life. Hopefully, the team can bounce back from a disappointing season, and perhaps we’ll see Joel Embiid make it further in the playoffs this season.
