From even before the regular season began, it's seemed like Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers didn't exactly see eye to eye on how best to manage the franchise big man's troublesome left knee. Embiid, understandably considering his lengthy injury history and how badly he wants to finally break through in the postseason, wanted to take things as slowly as possible. The Sixers, meanwhile, seemed to be a little anxious about that pace, gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) suggesting that the best thing for Embiid's recovery would be to play through discomfort while his knee heals.
That tension has been coming to a head over the last few weeks, as the Sixers' season circled the drain and an inflection point arrived at which Philly would have decide whether to make one more playoff push or cut bait on a lost season. The team eventually opted for the latter on Friday, finally making the decision to shut Embiid down for good and embrace the tank. This seems like the best thing for all involved; Embiid gets to focus on getting well and truly healthy, while Philadelphia gets to avoid a pointless Play-In run and try and hold on to their top six-protected first-round pick. But recent reporting from ESPN's Shams Charania suggests that the team only arrived at that conclusion once Embiid went to some extraordinary measures.
Joel Embiid doesn't seem to trust Daryl Morey anymore
Shams appeared on NBA Countdown on Saturday night with a blockbuster report, claiming that Embiid apparently had gotten so fed up with his back-and-forth with Morey about his knee that he finally gave up and went directly to owner Josh Harris. Harris helped (well, "helped") get everyone on the same page, and Embiid was shut down for the year.
Reporting for ABC NBA Countdown on Joel Embiid and the 76ers, now lockstep toward his long-term health: pic.twitter.com/HdXnXawDYR
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 2, 2025
Of course, no one is more invested — literally and financially — in Embiid's long-term health than Harris, who could wind up paying the big man some $300 million over the next five years. Charania goes on to describe every interested party here as "in lockstep" moving forward, but ... well, a player having to bypass his general manager and go directly to ownership to express a disagreement with how the team wants him to handle an injury sounds like anything but.
And if that's true, it's hard to see how Morey can be the man to lead Philly into the future. No matter what you think about the path the team took to get to this point, the Sixers will rise or fall depending on Embiid; they've hitched their wagon to him, and they need to do whatever they can to ensure that he's on board moving forward. It sure doesn't seem like he's on board with Morey specifically, and if push comes to shove, we all know who's going to lose that tug of war.