It’s official: NBA insider Shams Charania broke the news Philadelphia big man Joel Embiid has signed an extension worth $196M through the 2026-27 season with the 76ers. That guarantees him a total of $261M over the next 6 seasons.
Sources: 76ers star Joel Embiid has agreed to a four-year, $196 million super maximum contract extension. Major extension for the 2021 NBA MVP runner-up.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 17, 2021
Embiid had an absolutely fantastic season with the 76ers, where he was the runner-up for the MVP title behind Nikola Jokic. Embiid was excellent despite having injury problems and led the Philadelphia 76ers to the first overall seed in the Eastern Conference.
Embiid was solid during the 2021 NBA Playoffs. He was crucial in the 76ers defeating the Washington Wizards in the first round, even playing through an injury. But the injury kept him out of the series against the Atlanta Hawks.
Without Embiid on the court, the 76ers were upset by the Hawks, who eliminated them in 7 games. Embiid is clearly the centerpiece of the 76ers franchise, as they are trying to build their entire team around him.
At the moment, the 76ers are trying to get a solid deal for Ben Simmons in order for them to be able to secure another All-Star to pair with Embiid. The 76ers tried making the pairing of Simmons and Embiid work for them.
But after Simmons’ last performance in the NBA Playoffs, the franchise has called time on his stint with them and is looking to get rid of him.
For Embiid, he will be hoping to continue growing on his performances from the last season. Despite having injury concerns, Embiid was a solid performer for the 76ers. At one point, he was the favorite to win the MVP title.
But an injury kept him sidelined for a good portion of the regular season and allowed Jokic to surpass him in the race to the MVP.
The 76ers know that Embiid won’t have a very long championship window, given his injury concerns. This is why they are so keen on getting a solid team around him. If the 76ers can surround him with the right crew, then he can help lead the 76ers to the NBA championship. But all that depends on how the 76ers’ front office handles business.
