Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[KillerLeft]

Saw a report on Heavy.com that names DAL as a "leading" candidate to trade for Embiid, without providing any details. Apparently, the whole Philly brain trust has turned over since they were swept by the NYKs. So speculation is there may be other house cleaning to clear the way to build around Maxey and other youngsters. Plus, this is the first offseason Embiid hasn't been repairing or recovering from an injury. He's under contract for the next 3 seasons, with the 3rd being a PO and averaging ~62.5M/yr.

I know it's BS, speculative writing but DAL bringing in Embiid would feel like the second coming of AD. Also, PHI is currently at ~$180M with only 10 Slots filled (including the TOs), so I'm sure trading injury-prone Joel for Kyrie and a couple of prospects looks inviting to their fans after getting ousted in the playoffs the last few years.

Embiid started this season believing his career might be over. I don't know the exact details, but he has reached the point where he's had so many surgeries that they've removed almost all of his knee cartilage. It's the age old "bone on bone" situation, like so many others before him. He literally did an interview earlier this year in which he admitted that he, himself, was surprised he was able to play as much and as effectively as he did this season and isn't sure he can expect it to continue much longer. 

I wouldn't want him if they were giving him away for free, and I wouldn't want him on 3 more years of of guaranteed money, even at the MLE. Not in 100 years would I trade for Embiid. I'd sooner trade Kyrie for Scott4theMavs and ask HIM to be the Mavs' starting center.