NBA Draft Rumors: Did Cavaliers leak bad Joel Embiid physical to keep trade talks alive?

On Friday afternoon, results of Joel Embiid’s physical with the Cleveland Cavaliers were released and the news wasn’t good. At least, that’s what the Cavaliers wanted many to believe as soon after the initial report hit the wire, additional sources began reporting that Embiid’s physical with the Cavaliers went just fine and the former Kansas center checked out completely healthy.

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Of course, in that situation it becomes a ‘he said, she said’ scenario and you really question who you want to believe, especially given Embiid is coming off his second stress fracture, the first suffered when he was in high school.

Does Embiid really have health problems? It’s a question the Cavaliers want opposing teams to ponder as Pro Basketball Talk suggests the only reason for the Cavaliers to allegedly leak such a report would be in effort to confuse the Milwaukee Bucks (who own the No. 2 pick) so trade talks with the Philadelphia 76ers would remain alive.

“My sources say the Cavs doctors cleared Embiid. Only reason to leak intel is to try to get him to slip by the Bucks if Cavs swap w/ Philly.”

The Cavaliers were of course approached by the 76ers in recent days about a trade involving the No. 1 pick. Philadelphia owns the No. 3 selection, so it’s not outlandish to think the two sides could find middle ground on a deal if the Cavaliers did indeed decide they want to move the pick. However, at this point it still appears as if the Cavaliers will retain their pick though there’s certainly no point in killing the deal this early, especially if Philadelphia decides at some point they want to overpay.

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