Joel Embiid’s loyalty to Philadelphia could be tested this offseason.
With another early exit from the playoffs under their belt and the team firing coach Doc Rivers on Tuesday, the 76ers will be tasked with improving a roster that is seemingly at a dead end, depleted of draft capital and cap space.
Even before Rivers’ firing some of the NBA’s top minds believed that contending teams – including the Knicks – are positioning themselves to land Embiid, especially if his running mate James Harden decides to return to Houston as rumored.
“Choose loyalty or choose a chance to compete for a championship,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said of Embiid as a guest on The Lowe Post podcast with Zach Lowe.
“And now Tim, James can walk. And if you don’t think that teams with trade assets, like the Knicks, for instance, have been watching this situation from afar,” Lowe responded.
“[The Knicks] have been watching, rubbing their hands together,” MacMahon interjected.
Harden leaving for Houston would put Embiid in the prime of his career on a rebuilding roster – which is not exactly how one may want to spend their peak years.
The Knicks passed on cashing a boatload of assets for Donovan Mitchell this season, but could they push all-in for the reigning MVP?
“I know that teams with assets are looking around saying, ‘Whoa… Can we?'” Lowe said.
And Lowe is not alone on theorizing the Knicks could be interested in cashing in their haul of draft capital and young players for a superstar.
Ringer founder Bill Simmons believes the Knicks are “in that mode” for Embiid.
“The Knicks are just waiting for Embiid to say, ‘It’s time for me to go,'” Simmons said on his podcast. “They have their relationships. They have Leon [Rose] and [World Wide] Wes, who are his [Embiid’s] guys. They have been waiting for this moment right now, and it’s here.”
He mentioned that the 76ers could decide to move on from coach Rivers – which they did on Tuesday – and resign Harden to a massive extension while running it back with the current nucleus of players.
But anyone predicting what Harden will do with his career is a fool’s errand.
“The Rockets think he’s coming,” MacMahon and Lowe agreed after the 76ers’ loss on Sunday.
If Harden truly does go to Houston for a carefree basketball life on a young roster, Embiid will be stuck.
The Post’s Zach Braziller also reported in March that the Knicks were well-positioned this offseason after passing on a potential Mitchell trade last year.
He mentioned the likes of Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns on a small list of potential trade candidates, on top of the Embiid speculation if this year ended badly, which it did.
“If I’m the Knicks, all of these Karl-Anthony Towns rumors are going to start now. Forget that. I have a good team if I’m the Knicks,” Lowe explained on the Knicks’ impressive stash of trade assets.
“I missed my chance on Mitchell, and that’s fine; we rebounded from that. It turned out to be an OK decision. Towns ain’t the guy I’m playing all of the chips for, but Embiid? That’s the guy I’m playing all the chips for.”
New York will find out just how much draft capital they have at the NBA Draft Lottery Tuesday night – as they own the Mavericks’ top-10 protected first-round pick, which they have a 20 percent chance of keeping.
At the trade deadline, they opted to keep the Mavericks’ draft pick and trade their own for Josh Hart, despite the Mavericks going all-in with a trade for Kyrie Irving.
New York also has lottery-protected picks from the Wizards and Pistons this season that have a variety of protections until the 2027 season, where they would turn into second-rounders if those two teams continue to pick in the top 9 between those seasons.
The Knicks did acquire the Bucks 2025 draft pick (top four protected) and hold all of their future draft picks after this season.
“As for Joel, he loves Philly; Philly loves him. He loves being loved in Philly; he understands what that means. I think it would be very hard for him to follow the superstar, ‘I’m really forcing my way out of here model,'” Lowe said of Embiid.
