The 76ers have had a treacherous start to the year as their new big three has struggled to even get on the court with a record of 15-25 and sitting outside the play-in spots at 11th.
In the off-season they signed Paul George to a four-year, $211 million contract which financially caps what the 76ers can manage in a trade to upgrade their roster. George has been super disappointing to start his time with the 76ers, with averages of just 17.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists while his shooting splits are down from his career averages.
Acquiring George was a message from the 76ers that they are all in with their homegrown talent in Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. These two have already had success, and the thought of adding another top 30 player to the mix is something that they couldn’t pass up, but with their current situation they should trade Embiid.
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Embiid has been a genuine superstar throughout his career averaging 27.8 points and 11 rebounds in his eight-year span. His major issue however is his injuries.
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It feels like Embiid plays three games every couple of months and then some mysterious injury wipes him out until his next short stint. With his contract being so large the 76ers need him on the court to be a contender and they aren’t getting that at the moment. He has only played 13 games this season out of a possible 40.
The 76ers need to make a change to salvage their future. George is the logical choice to trade, but with him already being 34 and still being owed four more years of his large contract there is little to no reason for any team to give any substantial offer for his services.
They are obviously not going trade Maxey, who at only 24 has already been an All-Star and looks to be a future consistent top 20 player. This only leaves Embiid.
The 76ers could hopefully trade Embiid for a young star who potentially hasn’t fully broken out yet but is on the cusp. He would require a massive package back, most likely including young talent and a massive pile of picks.
If Rudy Gobert was traded for solid rotational players and five first-round picks then a player of Embiid’s quality will be worth much more, even with the injury concerns that surround him.
A huge number of teams would be willing to take the risk for Embiid even if he only plays 50 games a year and can be healthy for playoffs.
The 76ers could build a young exciting team around Maxey and their rookie sensation Jared McCain who was the clear favourite for ROTY until injury ruled him out for the season. If they wait until the end of the year and can find a suitor who will offer them a top five draft pick plus some solid rotational players and picks they could be the most enjoyable young team to watch while still being very competitive.
Maybe they could even get Cooper Flagg and form a genuine super team. This is an exciting time for the 76ers as they can look to build a team for the future if they trade their former MVP.