NBA rumors: Joel Embiid is coveting trade to Knicks, per NBA analyst
The Philadelphia 76ers endured on a path to scuttle seasons in attempts to land top picks, with the crown jewel of that strategy arriving in No. 3 pick Joel Embiid in the 2014 draft. However, after Embiid embarks on defending his MVP status, there are rumors that Embiid wants to join the New York Knicks, according to Chris Broussard on "First Things First."
"There is scuttlebutt in some corners of the league that (Joel) Embiid wants to go to New York," Broussard said. "Now, he's not gonna come out and say it because he doesn't want the backlash from fans in Philly."
Nick Wright, one of the show's co-hosts responded by saying he's never heard these rumors but that he trusts Broussard.
"There is scuttlebutt that he has his eye on New York," Broussard continued, "but look, we always associate the Knicks with all these great players on other teams, so I'm not gonna count on that."
After waiting for Embiid to be ready after missing his first seasons with a broken bone in his right foot, he has blossomed, being selected as an All-Star in six consecutive seasons. Embiid took Philadelphia to the playoffs in each of those seasons, but five ended in the Eastern Conference semifinals and one ended in the first round.
Since 2017, they have endured relatively great success in the regular season. They have been a permanent part of the playoffs even though most of their picks from their rebuilding years did not work out.
Of course, none of their success would have happened without Joel Embiid. He has been the force who has been driving the Philadelphia 76ers, and he has done so while enduring lots of drama regarding his teammates.
There is no telling how long Embiid can endure the lack of playoff success and the constant drama with the 76ers.
Before the emergence of Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers endured several difficult seasons. From the 2012-13 season, they failed to reach the playoffs and were always close to the bottom of the standings. Things turned around for them in the 2017-18 season when they won 52 games, the first time they won over 50 since the 2000-01 campaign.
As of now, these are only rumors. Joel Embiid has never clearly said that he wants to leave the team that drafted him. However, he once delivered a cryptic message that hinted he might look for that championship elsewhere if it does not happen with Philly.
A quick look at Joel Embiid's career with the 76ers
Joel Embiid was drafted as the No. 3 pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014. They picked him despite knowing that he was going to miss a lot of time due to surgery. He missed the first two seasons of his career after getting drafted.
He finally made his debut in the preseason before the start of the 2016-17 campaign. The center from Cameroon was impressive during his first year in the league, earning All-Rookie honors, but it was once again cut short due to injuries. In total, he only played 31 games.
In the 2017-18 season, he finally remained healthy enough to play over 60 games (63). The 76ers finally made the playoffs but lost in the conference semifinals.
They have been a consistent playoff team since then.
Unfortunately for Philadelphia, Embiid has failed to lead his team to the NBA Finals, let alone the Eastern Conference finals. The closest the 76ers got was in 2019, when they lost in seven games to the Toronto Raptors.
Only time will tell if Joel Embiid will remain with the 76ers or if he will eventually move on to seek his first championship. Furthermore, there is no telling if his next team would be the New York Knicks.