Lakers News: MVP Removes Team Affiliation From Twitter, Could LA Trade For Him?
Philadelphia 76ers All-NBA center Joel Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP, seems to be (perhaps rightfully) fed up with the behavior of the team that drafted him.
With star point guard James Harden demanding to be dealt away from the team (he didn't find many takers for his services in free agency this summer, so he pivoted to opting into the final $35.6 million season in his contract with the hope he'd be traded before the start of the season), Embiid may be tired by news that yet another high-level teammate is angrily stumping to leave.
Embiid removed any mention of or affiliation with the Sixers from his Twitter profile, seemingly in a gesture meant to intimidate Philly's front office. The 7'2" big man has dealt with plenty of drama since being selected with the third pick out of Kansas in 2014 by the club.
Embiid missed all of his first two NBA-eligible seasons due to injury, and was able to suit up for just 32 contests in his official rookie year circa 2016-17.
He's seen not one but two No. 1 draft selections (Ben Simmons in 2016 and Markelle Fultz in 2017) added by the Sixers during their "Trust The Process" era flame out due to injuries to the point where a future with the team was untenable. In the case of Simmons, he was a three-time All-Star and All-Defensive Teamer but his refusal to develop a jumper and his sheer terror of shooting free throws in the postseason, coupled with back issues, ultimately resulted in his demanding to be traded away. Current team president Daryl Morey eventually flipped Simmons for Harden, who now also wants out.
In the summer of 2019, All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler decided to leave the Sixers for the Miami Heat in a free agent sign-and-trade, in large part because the club prioritized maxing out its other starting forward, Tobias Harris, before taking care of him with a full max deal. Butler subsequently led Miami to two NBA Finals appearances in four years, plus a third Eastern Conference Finals run.
We're not even going to mention the flameouts of Philadelphia top six lottery picks Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor, neither of whom wound up amounting to much in the NBA.
ESPN's Mike Greenberg, Harry Douglas and Kimberley Martin discuss the latest drama on a new episode of "Get Up."
So could Embiid make sense in the Purple and Gold? Given that he is a six-time All-Star, a five-time All-NBA honoree, a three-time All-Defensive Second Teamer, and was twice the league's top scorer, on top of being the MVP in 2023 and easily one of the five best players in the league, it would take your Los Angeles Lakers flipping LeBron James or, in a move that would make more positional sense, Anthony Davis in a deal. And even then, because Embiid is better at this stage than either Laker, LA's front office would need to get creative in throwing in multiple draft picks and swaps in an exchange.
Because Davis inked a multiyear extension with Los Angeles this summer, however, he cannot be dealt until next year. Moving him would make the most sense for the Lakers, although theoretically thanks to Davis' aptitude at the power forward position and Embiid's abilities as an outside shooter, the two of them could ostensibly comprise a tenable, if slow, frontcourt.
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