Is Embiid actually untradable?

[perks-a-beast]

I could very well be wrong, but I view Embiid as hard but not impossible to trade.

It would be great for Philly if he could stick around and be part of this new core, but he simply cannot be relied on to stay healthy.

He has three years left on his max contract, so they would definitely have to attach some of their picks to unload him.

To me, something like this makes a lot of sense:

PHI gets: Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma, AJ Green
MIL gets: Joel Embiid, 2027 1st round pick, 2029 1st round pick (from LAC).

Makes sense for Philly as they get cheaper and more dependable (health-wise) players in return. From the Bucks perspective, something like this makes sense since they dont control their own draft capital for a while, so this would allow them to replenish their supply of picks.

Something like Embiid and picks for Sabonis plus filler may also make sense.

If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I would have said he was untradable. But ever since Paul Georges albatross of a contract was not just dumped, but traded for an All-Star, I am now questioning everything related to salaries and trades.

This is what I would trying to be doing if I were the Sixers front office, since they are in serious win-now mode imo.

Also, I wanted to take this opportunity to say that I am still in complete disbelief that Brad Stevens either failed to or did not try to get Labaron Philon in the Jaylen trade. As someone who watched a ton of Alabama mens basketball these past couple years, I 100% guarantee that guy is going to be awesome in the NBA. Stupid, stupid Brad.

[Roy H.]

The Sixers somehow extracted positive value from Paul George, so anything is possible.

[Who]

I would Embiid away so fast if I could.

I love that Philly core (Jaylen, Maxey, Edgecombe) without Embiid. I don't want Embiid's inability to stay healthy to mess all that up.

[Who]

People are saying Brad did Jaylen a solid by sending him to Philadelphia because they have Embiid & Maxey.

I am wondering did Brad curse Jaylen by sending him to Philly and having him waste away the best years of his career next to a guy who can't stay healthy.

[Roy H.]

People are saying Brad did Jaylen a solid by sending him to Philadelphia because they have Embiid & Maxey.

I am wondering did Brad curse Jaylen by sending him to Philly and having him waste away the best years of his career next to a guy who can't stay healthy.

The other thing is that JB wants to be a lead guy, and there's no chance of him being a clear cut #1 in Philly.  Heck, he's not even a clear cut #2.

[LilRip]

People are saying Brad did Jaylen a solid by sending him to Philadelphia because they have Embiid & Maxey.

I am wondering did Brad curse Jaylen by sending him to Philly and having him waste away the best years of his career next to a guy who can't stay healthy.

I would guess the eventual reality of that Philly team will be:
- Embiid is the real ceiling raiser. Any championship rests on his shoulders. If he is not healthy? The experiment will fail
- Maxey is the real peoples champion. People in Philly love him and I do not see JB changing that
- JB will have the highest usage rate among the 3 (Embiid not around enough, Maxey seems always willing to defer) and the honeymoon phase will sour quickly if it does not turn to wins early in the season

[Vermont Green]

Celtics fans, who would you rather pair with Tatum,  Embiid or George?  Maybe another way to consider this, who will play more games next season?  How about more playoff games?

Embiid played at an MVP level in the playoffs for about 3 games but then wore down.  George had something like 11 full playoff games where he was a solid #3.  Embiid is a huge risk to trade for but potentially very high reward. I doubt Embiid gets traded.  It may seem counterintuitive but George seems easier to trade than  Embiid.

[Kernewek]

People are saying Brad did Jaylen a solid by sending him to Philadelphia because they have Embiid & Maxey.

I am wondering did Brad curse Jaylen by sending him to Philly and having him waste away the best years of his career next to a guy who can't stay healthy.

I would guess the eventual reality of that Philly team will be:
- Embiid is the real ceiling raiser. Any championship rests on his shoulders. If he is not healthy? The experiment will fail
- Maxey is the real peoples champion. People in Philly love him and I do not see JB changing that
- JB will have the highest usage rate among the 3 (Embiid not around enough, Maxey seems always willing to defer) and the honeymoon phase will sour quickly if it does not turn to wins early in the season

I agree with this, but if I'm Philadelphia I just watched JB drag a team much further than they should've gone in a season with zero expectations - if he's healthy, there's no reason why he can't be the main engine for the regular season, with Embiid being fresher for the postseason.

[Who]

Celtics fans, who would you rather pair with Tatum,  Embiid or George?  Maybe another way to consider this, who will play more games next season?  How about more playoff games?

Embiid played at an MVP level in the playoffs for about 3 games but then wore down.  George had something like 11 full playoff games where he was a solid #3.  Embiid is a huge risk to trade for but potentially very high reward. I doubt Embiid gets traded.  It may seem counterintuitive but George seems easier to trade than  Embiid.

He played at an MVP when faced with some of the easiest / most advantageous matchups he could possibly dream of having in a playoff series. As soon as those matchups no longer existed, MVP Embiid no longer existed.

[Celtics4ever]

He was good against us because he was rested coming off an injury.  His normal self returned against the Knicks.  He was back to the two good quarters a mediocre one and a bad one, which is his norm.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

all depends

[Jiri Welsch]

I'm obviously familiar with Embiid's career and his multitude of injuries and ailments (foot, knee, facial fractures, Bell's palsy, appendectomy, just to name a few).

With all that said, I'm unsure why the vast majority of folks view it as a certainty he will get hurt in the future. Especially if the team is able to load manage aggressively. Is it mostly a "past is prelude" mindset? Or have there been people on the record saying he can't last an entire playoff run?

I'm not trying to be a contrarian or play dumb. Obviously Embiid is extremely injury prone. I just don't know if I've ever gotten a clear answer. Is there something degenerative or is he just is a huge guy who always seems to find a way to get injured?

[byennie]

I'm obviously familiar with Embiid's career and his multitude of injuries and ailments (foot, knee, facial fractures, Bell's palsy, appendectomy, just to name a few).

With all that said, I'm unsure why the vast majority of folks view it as a certainty he will get hurt in the future. Especially if the team is able to load manage aggressively. Is it mostly a "past is prelude" mindset? Or have there been people on the record saying he can't last an entire playoff run?

I'm not trying to be a contrarian or play dumb. Obviously Embiid is extremely injury prone. I just don't know if I've ever gotten a clear answer. Is there something degenerative or is he just is a huge guy who always seems to find a way to get injured?

I think the most direct answer is: degenerative knee condition (2x meniscus surgery, will always bother him and require rest after any intensive run of games) + size/age (one of the physically largest players in the game, entering his mid-30s) + history (one way or another, he has been consistently injured for 12+ years).

In theory he could string together a playoff run, but if you combine his specific limitation (left knee) with his size, age and history of different ailment I'd say there's a 99% chance that he's always going to be severely degraded by the ECF if not sooner.

Mayyyybe if he had an ideal regular season with tons of time off, and Philly started sweeping teams in the playoffs... you see him go into the ECF with like 100 total playoff minutes and you might have something?

My take: Embiid can certainly help them get there, and win some key games, but winning a title with him consistently on the court the whole way is never going to happen in 100 years.

[Vermont Green]

I will ask again. Would you trade Paul George straight up for Embiid?  He has 2 years plus a player option in 2028-29, so 1 more year than George. 

Second question, who would want Embiid?  Can anyone offer a realistic deal that some team might offer?

[Who]

I will ask again. Would you trade Paul George straight up for Embiid?  He has 2 years plus a player option in 2028-29, so 1 more year than George. 

Second question, who would want Embiid?  Can anyone offer a realistic deal that some team might offer?

Heck no!!