Shaquille O'Neal seems to believe Joel Embiid could be on his way out from Philadelphia
For the second time in three years, the Philadelphia 76ers find themselves in a messy trade standoff. First, it was Ben Simmons, and now it's James Harden. However, the biggest loser in this situation is Joel Embiid, who is unlikely to be in a position to compete for a championship in the upcoming season.
It appears that legendary big man Shaquille O'Neal reckons Embiid could request his own trade out of Philadelphia, as he shared an image on Instagram story.
The quote that O'Neal shared was from Vince Goodwill. He recently shared the notion that the Sixers should consider entering into a full rebuild after multiple years of struggle and drama.
“Embiid has said all the right things publicly, but there has to be some residual fatigue in his entire 76ers experience. Morey is only responsible for the last few years, but in totality, many around the league believe Embiid will ask out sooner rather than later — and that a full rebuild is what Morey is covertly hoping for.”
“For Morey, a teardown could be better than another outright failure in the East.”
Being the reigning MVP, there would be no shortage of interested parties for Embiid, and the Sixers would arguably get whatever trade package they're looking for.
O'Neal knows how successful a change of scenery can be for a player's career. He played for six different teams, winning championships with two of them: Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
Embiid's undoubted skill is enough to ensure that the Sixers remain a playoff team, regardless of what happens with Harden. However, the consistent drama and failure to mount a serious postseason challenge could be what eventually drives Philadelphia's franchise player away.
New York Knicks could make sense for Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid
According to former NBA player Richard Jefferson, the New York Knicks could be a potential landing spot for Joel Embiid if he chooses to force his way out of the Philadelphia 76ers.
On BlueWire's Road Trippin,' Jefferson gave his reasoning about why the Knicks should be seen as serious contenders if Embiid becomes available.
"If you try and get a player to come in and be a superstar and save your organization, there's going to be a problem. No one wants to come, be the savior of the New York Knicks," Jefferson said.
"So, now, that they have talent, they built within; they've got core pieces; they've got an All-Star point guard in Brunson; now guys are going to want to play there."
Given how the Knicks have slowly developed their roster and boast multiple young talents, a plethora of future draft picks and a potential star-level player, they could provide a team with a package to obtain a superstar via trade.
With so many assets to their name, Jefferson reckons New York is due a superstar, and Embiid's current situation could be the perfect storm for the Knickerbockers.
"I think Joel Embiid and another superstar will end up in New York. Brunson's on a friendly contract.
"Brunson's an All-NBA player that's getting paid like a low-level All-Star. He's getting paid 20+ when VanVleet got 30, right? I would say, Brunson right now, you would take Brunson over VanVleet."
Embiid's future is unclear. However, just like Shaquille O'Neal before him, Embiid may need to force a move out of Philadelphia to push for championships, especially now that he's in the prime of his career.