Stephen A. Smith declares Joel Embiid's era finished. The Philadelphia 76ers face a difficult crossroads, weighing star power against a younger future
Stephen A. Smith's blunt opinion on First Take landed because it reflected a question the 76ers have been circling for months: if Philadelphia is going to move forward, is Joel Embiid still the player the team should be built around?
Smith argued that "you can't get anything for Embiid because he is always injured" and pointed instead to VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey as "the future of this franchise." The tone is harsh, but it captures the crossroads Philadelphia is facing.
The case for a reset is easy to understand. Embiid is still an elite player when available. He averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists this season. However, he has been slowed by injury, most recently an appendectomy that had no timetable for return before the playoffs. He did manage to get back on the court for Game 4 against the Boston Celtics. He played only 38 regular-season games, and Philadelphia has already spent years trying to build a contender around a center whose availability is always a part of the conversation.
At the same time, the Sixers have reason to believe that it's time to shift to a new direction. Maxey averaged 28.3 points and 6.6 assists this season, while Edgecombe put together a great rookie year, averaging 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.
The current cap sheet also shows how much of the payroll is tied up in the old core. Embiid's cap hit is $55.2 million, Paul George's at $51.7 million, and Maxey's at $38.0 million. That is a lot of money committed to a team that may have hit their ceiling.
That's where the difficulty comes in. Trading Embiid is not as simple as deciding to move on. His salary makes matching money difficult; his injury history will lower the return, and any team that brings him in would have to believe they are getting a franchise centerpiece.
This is not a knock on Embiid and his skills. The 76ers may have found their next step with Maxey and Edgecombe, two players who fit a faster, younger style and can grow together. Embiid is still a great player; the question is whether or not Philadelphia feels like they have gotten everything they could out of his era.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.