The Philadelphia 76ers have already been jettisoned from the playoffs, meaning that they should now set their sights on the slew of decisions incumbent upon them in the offseason. However, before they even officially get to that point, it appears that a crisis is already brewing from behind the scenes. Worse, it involves Joel Embiid, the one person they cannot afford to trigger at any point,
As reported by The Athletic's Tony Jones, Embiid has not been seeing eye to eye with the 76ers brain trust and the coaches. This apparently stemmed from the front office deciding to cut costs before the trade deadline despite imploring them to do the contrary. The divisive choice to trade Jared McCain seems to have likewise left a bitter taste in the superstar big man's tongue.
Joel Embiid is still the face of the franchise, the most impactful player who definitively sets the ceiling of this team. But more importantly, his contract situation is too delicate that the 76ers do not really have any choice but to keep him happy in Philly. Now, the front office is partaking in a dangerous war of attrition they are poised to lose eventually.
The 76ers are taking a huge risk by doing the opposite of what Joel Embiid wants
For better or for worse, the 76ers are going to be stuck with Joel Embiid. In account of the fact that he is under one of the more paralyzing deals in the league, no other team is going to actively show interest in wheeling and dealing with the franchise to acquire his services. He is here to stay and the status quo will remain the same barring anything drastic.
There is no questioning Embiid's loyalty to the franchise. He himself acknowledged that their campaign was a success given that they still managed to outperform expectations with him ending the season fairly healthy. But this degree of commitment does not operate as a license for the team to keep failing him from the front office to the coaching staff.
The moment the former MVP loses amor with the team's brass, the 76ers will surely start sinking. There is simply no way for this group to get to where they want with a half-hearted Embiid at their core. For now, the chances of that occurring are slim, but patience has its limits. As the saying goes, beware the fury of a patient man.
The 76ers keep finding ways to disappoint Joel Embiid, and given how much the latter has given to the franchise in mind, body, and spirit, the burden is now on them to prove that this fear is more contrived than real.