The Philadelphia 76ers once again failed to make it past the second round. Here are three teams Joel Embiid should request a trade to if he were to do so.
The Philadelphia 76ers had long said to their fanbase: "Trust the process." While that mantra has been repeated every year, it has lost its luster, especially with the lack of playoff success.
This is a team that hasn't made it to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001. They certainly had their chance, as they were up 3-2 in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Boston Celtics. Instead, they had to play in a Game 7.
Once again, the 76ers failed to finish the job, falling in Game 7 get eliminated from the playoffs.
With that, the 76ers have to once again figure out what went wrong and try to build a roster to get the most out of its potential. This is likely the last Philadelphia fans will see James Harden on the team. Would there be another star to exit, like Joel Embiid?
Embiid just won the 2022-23 NBA MVP award, the first of his career. But could he demand a trade elsewhere to have a better chance of winning a championship? Look, it's entirely unlikely that Embiid is going to get traded. But as is the case every NBA season, superstars can demand a trade out of the blue, and get their wish.
Zach Braziller of the New York Post reports that there have been "whispers" that Embiid could want out of Philadelphia if Harden were to leave for the Houston Rockets this offseason.
If Embiid were to demand a trade, and we stress "if Embiid were to demand a trade," here are three teams he should consider.
3 teams Joel Embiid should demand a trade to, No. 3: Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets have tried out the superteam method in hopes of it bringing in their first Larry O'Brien Trophy. But, the combination of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Harden/Ben Simmons didn't pan out. They won just one playoff series in four years. This past season, the superteam was effectively blown up after both Irving and Durant requested trades.
Even after moving on from Durant and Irving, the Nets were still able to make it into the playoffs. Head coach Jacque Vaughn got the most out of Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Nic Claxton, and more to clinch the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, thus avoiding the play-in tournament.
The Nets do need a big presence to score points in the paint. According to TeamRankings.com, the Nets averaged the second-fewest points in the paint per game this past season with 43.6. Getting Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP, would certainly provide a huge boost to the team.
3 teams Joel Embiid should demand a trade to, No. 2: Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks gave it a shot by bringing in some big-name help for Luka Doncic. The issue was, they brought in Kyrie Irving. While yes, Irving is one of the best point guards in the game, he didn't help lead the team to victories. Specifically, the Mavericks were 8-12 with Irving playing. With that, the Maverick missed out on the playoffs, solidified after the team sat their stars at the tail end of the season.
Irving is set to become a free agent, so it's entirely likely that he goes elsewhere to play. So who do the Mavericks pivot to help out Doncic?
Well, much like the Nets, the Mavericks were one of the worst teams in terms of scoring points in the paint. Specifically, they were the worst, averaging 42.8 points in the paint per game, per TeamRankings.com.
The Mavericks did try to get a top-tier scorer in the paint a couple of years ago in the form of Kristaps Porzingis, but that didn't pan out the way they had expected. Embiid is levels better than Porzingis and would provide help in an area of need next season.
Doncic and Embiid playing together? That could be a tough team to beat in the Western Conference.
3 teams Joel Embiid should demand a trade to, No. 1: New York Knicks
This year's New York Knicks team felt different. After years of neglecting the point guard position, they finally addressed it last offseason by acquiring Jalen Brunson, and he's turned out to be the real deal. The team clinched the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and made it to the second round after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games.
But in their second-round series against the Miami Heat, it became evident that this team still needs more. Brunson scored at will and set up plays as best he could throughout the series, but he didn't have any help. Julius Randle was frustrating to watch on the court, and R.J. Barrett has been the team's most inconsistent player. With that, they were eliminated in six games by the Heat.
It's not all doom and gloom for the Knicks. They have the arsenal to make a huge move. They are not completely limited in cap space, and they have 10 first-round picks in the next seven years. Not to mention that Embiid's former agent, Leon Rose, is the Knicks' team president. Considering how far they made it, the Knicks are in a position to make a blockbuster move to bring in a superstar to pair alongside Brunson. The Knicks can't run it back with the same team and expect different results.
While trading a superstar to a division rival would be tough, they have the draft capital that would entice any team.
Again, this is not to say that Embiid would certainly demand a trade. We're just listing out options if he were to do so.
