Knicks Are Coming to Senses Regarding 76ers’ Joel Embiid

The Knicks finally get it.

At this point in his career, Joel Embiid has established himself as one of the NBA’s elite. If the Philadelphia 76ers’ center were to become available in the trade market, a majority of the league would be doing its due diligence on finding out what it would take to trade for him.

The New York Knicks were clearly hopeful that situation would become a reality. As the Sixers flamed out in the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs after Joel Embiid’s MVP victory in the regular season, the Knicks were rumored to have hope in an Embiid trade request so they could strike.

Sure, the Sixers had drama once again, but the James Harden saga, mixed with a second-round exit, wasn’t enough to cause Embiid to request an early exit. The fact that the Sixers are thriving with the two-man duo of Embiid and Tyrese Maxey caused the Knicks to officially come to their senses.

The 76ers are not going to move on from the big man.

As The Athletic’s Fred Katz analyzed some of the discussions surrounding the Knicks, the first point he makes is that while the Knicks still want another star to add, they don’t expect one to become available in the middle of the season. He specifically mentioned Embiid, noting that “the hope” to land the big man in New York “has lessened” lately. 

Dreaming big is nothing new for NBA front offices, but landing Embiid is nothing more than a pipe dream for the Knicks and anybody else interested. Not only is Embiid under contract with the 76ers through 2027, but he’s consistently reiterated that he’s pleased with where the team is at — especially with the emergence of Tyrese Maxey.

Embiid might be the most notable big the Knicks have their sights set on, but there have been rumblings about the Knicks’ interest in Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl Anthony-Towns as well. However, they land in a pickle with that situation, too.

KAT Joins Embiid on Knicks' List of Dream Targets

Similar to the Sixers, the Timberwolves were a team with a lot of question marks heading into the 2023-2024 NBA season. Last season, Minnesota made notable moves with a championship-hopeful mentality just to grab the eighth seed in the West before losing 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs.

The Timberwolves might’ve been on fire sale watch in the eyes of the Knicks, but their success so far has made it extremely unlikely that Towns is ready to make a move to the East. With a 17-5 record, the Timberwolves are leading the way in the Western Conference. If they make a trade before the deadline, it will only be one to complement the star core of Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Towns.