NBA rumors: Embiid team switch, Mavs eyeing trade, Simmons back

NBA Rumors: Joel Embiid torn between Team France and Team USA

Joel Embiid has French citizenship and has long been tied to the French National Team when projecting toward the 2024 Olympics. Embiid is also a citizen of the United States, however, and there have been not-so-subtle efforts from Team USA to sway Embiid’s loyalties ahead of next fall’s global event.

USA ambassador Grant Hill spoke with NBA insider Marc Stein about the possibility of Embiid joining Team USA.

"“Joel Embiid is an incredible talent and he has options. And I guess that’s a good thing. I’ll just say this: I’ve had some discussions with him, and he knows our desire to have him a part of our program. So we’ll see sort of where that goes. But we’ll certainly, as we get through this World Cup and start to sort of plan for next summer, we’ll continue with those conversations, and hopefully by then, I’ll have some numbers and percentages to give you in terms of where the possibility stands.” (h/t HoopsHype)"

Frankly, Embiid joining Team USA feels a bit redundant. The United States will have the best overall talent, even if none of the top-shelf superstars join the team. Names like Tyrese Haliburton and Anthony Edwards highlight the FIBA World Cup roster and the bigger names tend to show up for the Olympics. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kyrie Irving all have a history with USA basketball.

Embiid joining the French team is a far more exciting proposition as far as competitive parity. France already has a tremendous amount of NBA talent on the roster, highlighted by Wolves defensive extraordinaire Rudy Gobert and Spurs No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama. Let’s get weird and roll out the three 7-footers lineup. France jamming it down the United States’ gullet with size stacked on top of size has a certain entertainment appeal. Embiid and Team USA running roughshod over the rest of the world is a less tantalizing possibility.