A major question the Philadelphia 76ers will need to answer this offseason is whether or not to entertain trading Joel Embiid.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ season came to an end at the hands of the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
Superstar center Joel Embiid once again had availability issues in the postseason, but when on the floor, he was far from the reason for the sweep. The cause of the 4-0 series result can be attributed heavily to Philadelphia’s lack of depth behind the ‘Big Three’ of Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George.
A big part of why the 76ers lack depth is because so much of their money is tied to the star trio. Embiid, most notably, starts a three-year, $182 million contract extension next season.
This lucrative extension beginning along with his health struggles begs the question of if the 76ers should attempt to trade Embiid this offseason.
The answer is no, but here’s why:
The first major reason is it will be impossible to land a player of equal talent in return for 'The Process.'
When on the floor, few players in the NBA are more offensively talented than Embiid, which is proven on the stat sheet as well as through the "eye test." He averaged 26.9 points on 48.9% shooting in the regular season and 24.0 points on 46.0% shooting in the playoffs. His ability to create his own shot, draw fouls, and attract double teams is essentially unmatched across the league.
The second significant motive to avoid trading Embiid is because having a "1A" player is essentially necessary to win a title.
Take the four teams remaining in the postseason, for example: the Oklahoma City Thunder have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the San Antonio Spurs have Victor Wembanyama, the New York Knicks have Jalen Brunson, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have Donovan Mitchell. While Tyrese Maxey did take a leap in the 2025-2026 season, he still doesn't quite fit into the superstar category, but Embiid does.
While it's an entirely fair point to argue that Embiid has never been at full strength when it matters most, taking the chance he will be is worth it given his talent. The 76ers need to ensure the rest of the roster is built to near perfection, so when the time does come that Embiid is healthy in the postseason, they're prepared to win it all.
The appeal of trading Embiid is obvious: get off an ugly contract for a player who struggles to stay healthy. However, the other way to look at it for the 76ers is you're home to one of the most offensively dominant superstars in league history. Philadelphia simply cannot take that for granted.
When you have a player of Embiid's caliber, you do everything in your power to win a championship with them at the helm. The last idea on the front office's mind should be trading him away.
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Anthony Pasciolla is the publisher of 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached via email at ampasciolla@gmail.com or followed on X @AnthonyPasci.