3 Joel Embiid trades that the 76ers might actually be able to pull off

The Philadelphia 76ers overcame a 3-1 deficit in the first round to defeat the Boston Celtics in the postseason for the first time in four decades. It felt like a crowning achievement, and it was. Then Philadelphia was swept out of the playoffs by New York in Round 2, and now the vibes are back in the gutter.

We should celebrate the Celtics victory and what it means for Embiid's career and legacy, while also understanding that something has to change in Philly. That probably starts with Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse, who are both on the hot seat, but many are wondering if the Sixers can somehow reset their roster. Any teardown aimed at "building around Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe" invariably means trading Embiid.

Should the Sixers move on from Joel Embiid?

This is a complicated question. If the Sixers could dump Joel Embiid's contract into a team's open cap space tomorrow, free of charge, it would be hard to argue against it. Next season is the beginning of a three-year, $187.9 million max extension for the former MVP, which pays him an annual average of $62.6 million. Under the current CBA, which penalizes high-spending teams, that's a lot of money for a historically volatile and unavailable centerpiece.

That said, Embiid's contract and health concerns will make it damn near impossible to trade him without attaching assets. And while the Sixers may feel it's worth it in the long run, Paul George's contract is its own financial dead weight, which will be similarly difficult to shed. Plus: for all the injuries and uncertainty, Embiid is still this team's best player when healthy. They don't beat the Celtics without Embiid. Straight up.

The Sixers would need to attach assets to becoming a worse team, but without completely bottoming out. And with the league's new anti-tanking rules about to take effect, a full-scale rebuild — a trade Tyrese Maxey and blow it up sort of rebuild — also has less appeal.

Embiid's contract is such that Philadelphia is probably better off running it back one more time, ideally with a new GM who can nail the margins and build a more functional bench unit. This team was clearly good enough to contend at the top, just not deep enough. Paul George was excellent down the stretch. Like, actually healthy and in ryhthm. VJ Edgecombe should take a sizable year two leap. The Sixers have enough talent to weather the turbulence of Embiid's inevitable absences, especially when it feels like his knee is more stable than it's been in years.

That said, if the Sixers do trade Embiid, he should be talented enough — transformative enough — to still return some value, even if the Sixers are moving off of picks to get a deal across the finish line. Trading Embiid and picks for quality contributors on more manageable contracts is at least a somewhat logically coherent strategy, assuming there are teams willing to take the plunge on a true ceiling-raiser with MVP pedigree.

Here are a few packages that could work out for all parties:

Joel Embiid to the Milwaukee Bucks

If the Bucks decide to double down on the Giannis era, instead of blowing it up, there could be a path to Philadelphia trading Embiid without dumping a bunch of picks.

Milwaukee sends back another bad-money center in Myles Turner, at $27.2 million annually over the next three years. That is a tough contract, but it's a lot more manageable than Embiid's, and it's not like Turner's shot-blocking and 3-point shooting (not to mention his comparative durability) would at least be functional in Philly's starting lineup.

Kyle Kuzma is another albatross, but he's effectively $20.4 million in expiring money, and it's not like the Sixers don't need wing depth. That eases their cap burden considerably beyond next season, while Bobby Portis Jr. is an elite sixth man (and a genuine stopgap starter) on an affordable $14.5 million salary, which addresses Philadelphia's depth in a critical way. Adem Bona is a solid developmental bet as your third center with potential functionality in two-big lineups.

For the Bucks, it's a chance to convince Giannis to stay by pairing him without another dominant interior scorer who can also space the floor, run jumbo two-man actions on the perimeter, and give the Bucks a matchup advantage up front in basically every game they play together. Health-wise it's a gamble, obviously, but if it convinces Giannis to stick around and raises Milwaukee's competitive ceiling in a wide-open East, Bucks fans probably wouldn't complain much.

Joel Embiid to the Minnesota Timberwolves

If the Wolves can't surge past San Antonio in the second round, it would be interesting to see if Tim Connelly is willing to rock the boat at all. We know the Wolves need another shot creator to ease the burden on Anthony Edwards, especially with Donte DiVincenzo tearing his Achilles. Conventional wisdom says the Wolves need a point guard, but what if their other offensive engine is a 7-foot walking mismatch?

Minnesota would be damn near impossible to defend with Embiid and Edwards on the floor together. The Julius Randle fit becomes complicated, especially on defense without Rudy Gobert, but this certainly adds a tantalizing new dimension to the Wolves offense. If Jaden McDaniels can pick up some of the slack defensively, with Ayo Dosunmu, Naz Reid and whatever depth Minnesota can amass around their new superstar duo, this trade would at least qualify as interesting.

Gobert is due $36.5 million next season with a $38 million player option for 2027-28. There's a far more palatable financial obligation for Philadelphia, especially since Gobert is historically very available. He would also plug a lot of holes defensively for a Sixers team that has struggled to contain dribble penetration with Embiid on the floor this season. He just can't guard out in space like he used to.

DiVincenzo is basically salary filler, as he's not expected back next season and he's on an expiring contract. But paying for his bird rights and praying for a miraculous late-season return, a la Jayson Tatum, wouldn't be the worst idea. He's a dramatic third-guard upgrade over Quentin Grimes long term if the Sixers keep him around.

Minnesota gets a future pick for its trouble and attempts to bend the calculus in its favor before OKC and Victor Wembanyama completely take over the league. This is compelling for both sides. Probably the most compelling option out there, even if the Wolves almost certainly prefer the steadfastness of Gobert's Hall of Fame-caliber interior defense.

Joel Embiid to the Golden State Warriors

The ultimate irony would be the Sixers trading Joel Embiid for former teammate and probably his closest NBA friend to date, Jimmy Butler. Golden State hopes to upgrade the roster around Stephen Curry and Draymond Green for one last ride. The combined gravitational pull of Embiid and Curry, when both are healthy, would tear a hole in the fabric of every NBA defense.

Butler is recovering from a torn ACL. He's also 36 years old and a non-spacer on the wing, which presents its share of challenges. Still, he was effective last season before the injury and, more importantly, his contract expires after the 2026-27 campaign. So the Sixers would effectively be paying the price of a first-round pick (plus the psychological tax of an Embiid trade in the fandom) to clear $50 million-plus from the books in a year.

A four-man core of Butler, Maxey, Edgecombe and George, while a smidge undersized and most certainly flawed, should still compete in the East. That is three plus defenders and four legitimate on-ball weapons who can apply pressure and set an offense in motion. Maxey, Edgecombe and Butler are aligned, not unlike Embiid, in their unvarnished competitive fire. This would be a group that plays hard in the games that count (Butler, again not unlike Embiid, needs to coast every now and again in the regular season).

The Dubs would take on major salary, but that team is dead in the water right now. If the goal isn't to rebuild fully, pairing Embiid and Steph at least gives the Warriors a path — however slight — to doing something half-interesting in the West. They are also former Under Armour teammates, so there's a built-in relationship, even if Embiid has since left U.A. for New Balance.

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