The Philadelphia 76ers are a team in flux. After yet another early exit in the playoffs, the team appears to be on the hunt for yet another new star to pair with superstar big man Joel Embiid.
While that may indeed ultimately happen this offseason, some NBA agents apparently don’t feel like it would be the wisest decision for the other stars in the league to join forces with the one-time MVP.
“Concerns about Embiid’s availability to both play and play at full strength in the postseason will also be a factor multiple player agents told Yahoo Sports they would advise clients to consider before signing with Philadelphia,” Jake Fischer wrote.
There’s little doubt that Embiid’s health is a concern. In his entire NBA career, he has yet to play more than 68 games in a single regular season.
He’s also missed numerous playoff games throughout his career. Though he managed to play in every playoff game this season, he only suited up for 39 regular season games in the 2023-24 campaign.
While availability is a concern for Embiid, production is not. The 30-year-old big man posted absurd averages of 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game this season.
He also hit 52.9 percent of his field goals and 38.8 percent of his 3-point shots.
For stars across the league, the draw of playing with a star with the gravity such as Embiid’s could certainly be attractive. However, other stars likely would have to consider what playing without Embiid for large swaths of the season could be like.
The Sixers do figure to have blossoming star guard Tyrese Maxey on the roster, but Embiid’s absence has proven difficult for the Sixers to overcome at times throughout the years.
Aside from the Embiid consideration, other stars may also consider what it would be like to play in Philly. The city is known to be home to voracious sports fans who love teams with religious-like zeal during good times and blame players and coaches with equal passion when things are tough.
That kind of magnifying glass may not be an ideal situation for some stars. With that in mind, other stars may relish the chance to bring a title to the iconic franchise that has not hoisted a championship trophy since 1983.
