Joel Embiid recently signed a supermax contract worth $196 over four years with the Philadelphia 76ers. Embiid has been the face of the franchise over the last few seasons, so it came as no surprise.
Moreover, with the rumors of Ben Simmons potentially on his way out of the team, it became an easy decision for the organization to hand Embiid a humongous contract.
Although the 2021 NBA MVP runner is without a doubt one of the best players in the league, there is only one concern for him. Embiid’s career has been full of injuries so far and it has not only reduced his longevity but also Philly’s chances of getting their hands on the glorious Larry O’Brien trophy.
Despite these concerns, NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith believes Joel Embiid earned every cent of his contract.
“There are some concerns about his [Joel Embiid’s] health,” said Smith. “It’s just that it can’t matter to the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s such a superstar-caliber player. If it were not for durability issues, we’d be calling him the best big man in basketball instead of [Nikola] Jokic in Denver. We know how surreal, how big-time Joel Embiid is, his game is just something special.
“… So this was a foregone conclusion. They absolutely had to give him this money, he’s well deserving of it. He’s the cornerstone of their franchise, he’s the star, everything goes through him in the city of Philadelphia and they would have it no other way. Congratulations to him. It’s well deserved. Injuries or no injuries, you had to lock him up because he is everything to this organization,” he added.
The SIXERS had no choice but to give EMBIID the SUPERMAX. pic.twitter.com/alQA7DWuyP
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) August 17, 2021
While it is true that Embiid has elevated his game to an elite level since he entered the league. As Stephen A. said, despite the obvious injury concerns, the Sixers cannot let go of their franchise player.
The only thing that remains is for Embiid to bring an NBA championship to the city of Philadelphia. But can he do it without the help of Ben Simmons, who is almost most certainly not going to don the Philly uniform this season? With time, we will have our answer.
