A radio analyst believes the Philadelphia 76ers should not hesitate to move on from Joel Embiid's contract at this year's trade deadline.
Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid is finally beginning to look like himself again.
In January, Embiid has not recorded less than 20 points and has tallied 30 or more five times. It's also worth noting he has only missed three games the entire month.
Despite a positive turn of events for the seven-time All-Star, radio analyst James Seltzer has a bold take regarding what the 76ers should do at the upcoming trade deadline. He believes it's a "no-brainer" to move on from the 2023 MVP for whatever return the front office can find to avoid dealing with his three-year, $188 million contract extension that kicks in starting next season.
"No," Seltzer said on 94WIP Sports Radio in regard to if trading away Embiid is a tough decision. "I don't think this is a blender or a vice at all. Let's remember where we were like three months ago, and also let's remember the Sixers are, what, like 25-21 or something like that? I mean, they're not winning the title.
The Sixers do have a record of 25-21 entering Thursday's matchup against the Sacramento Kings, which is good for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. They trail the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat follow closely behind them.
Seltzer continued, "They're not, I'm sorry to tell everyone, even if they magically got out of the East, which isn't going to happen because Joel probably won't stay healthy for a month, they're losing to Oklahoma City or whoever the hell else comes out of the West. Like, they're losing, so like, yes, absolutely, this is only going to get worse. Whatever Joel is now, he's not going to get better than this. This is like a no-brainer."
The biggest issue with potentially trading away Embiid is it will be impossible to land a player equally as skilled in return. When healthy, the 31-year-old big man remains one of the best players the NBA has to offer. It's possible the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, and maybe a few others would express interest but would not offer enticing returns for Philadelphia.
Given the way the season is trending for Embiid, the 76ers would be smart to see if he can remain healthy, and the team could potentially make some postseason noise in the wide-open Eastern Conference.
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