Philadelphia 76ers' President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey and Vice President Jameer Nelson spoke about superstar center Joel Embiid.
Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid is about to begin a three-year, $187 million contract.
Combining this deal with his history of injuries makes it nearly impossible to trade him.
It's clear the 76ers' new front office, led by Mike Gansey and Jameer Nelson, understands this. Gansey and Nelson made their feelings clear on Embiid on Monday.
"Joel [Embiid] is ours right now. I have had great conversations with him," Gansey said. "We just have to get Joel on the court. He is still a dominant force. He can get 25 in his sleep... He wants to play, wants to be on the court. That is on me, on our whole staff, to get him to his best self."
Gansey is spot on with his remark, as Embiid's biggest problem by far is staying healthy. He appeared in just 38 games this season but still managed to average 26.9 points on 48.9% shooting in the regular season and 24.0 points on 46.0% shooting in the playoffs.
Nelson echoed a similar message about the 2023 MVP.
"The goal is to get Joel on the floor as much as we can," Nelson said. "That's for us obviously to help find out and to accomplish. We all know when he's on the floor, he's the best big, in my eyes. He's one of the guys who, when healthy, everybody wants."
Winning a championship with Embiid at the helm is absolutely possible, but it comes down to him being on the floor when it matters most. This is something he's failed to do in his NBA career thus far.
Building around the backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe appears to be the ideal route but is also unrealistic given the deals of Embiid and Paul George. Instead, it's clear Gansey and Nelson are prepared to embrace the current core and do everything in their power to position the 76ers to win a title.
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