Joel Embiid rarely sugarcoats his feelings whether his team wins or loses. And he didn’t hide his disappointment after the Philadelphia 76ers were officially eliminated from the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Thursday evening at the hands of the New York Knicks.
“It sucks to lose,” Embiid said after the game. “The goal is to win a championship. Anytime that don’t happen, that’s all I care about. I don’t care if I got to the second round; that does not mean anything to me. We just didn’t accomplish what we wanted to.”
After a bit of luck at the end of Game 5, the Sixers were able to send the series back home with an opportunity to force Game 7. They nearly completed a furious comeback in Game 6, battling back from an eight-point deficit with 2:43 left to tie the game with 34.2 seconds left. This time, there would be no heroics from Tyrese Maxey and yet another promising campaign ended in an early playoff exit.
This type of postseason isn’t new for the 76ers or Embiid. The big man saw his season end on one of the most ridiculous shots in NBA history courtesy of Kawhi Leonard, sending the Raptors to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019 on their way to the title. The Atlanta Hawks got the best of the 76ers in 2021 in large part due to Ben Simmons’ offensive struggles. This play, in particular, is among the most frustrating of his tenure in Philadelphia, and Embiid’s reaction is priceless.
Perhaps the most infuriating loss for Embiid and the 76ers came last season, when they held a 3-2 lead over the Boston Celtics before laying eggs in Game 6 and Game 7. A handful of these losses came at home, which further stings Philadelphia fans.
So where do the 76ers go from here, and how much pressure does Embiid need to apply to move the needle?
Embiid’s health issues
There’s no getting around it; the big man has had some terrible injury luck. However, he’s a bonafide MVP when he’s right. Embiid battled plenty of knee issues early in his career but he’s averaging 30+ points per game over the last three seasons and has been named league MVP once while finishing second in the award voting another year. This season, he was on his way to another MVP-level campaign before a meniscus injury. Although Embiid was able to return for the postseason, he clearly wasn’t at 100%. Last season, he had some knee troubles which caused him to miss the first two games against Boston. The year before, he missed the first two games against the Miami Heat in the conference semifinals. The 76ers lost to Miami in six games.
While it is incredibly difficult to build a team around a superstar who isn’t always available, the 76ers have locked themselves into this conundrum. Embiid is under contract for the next two season and has a $59 million player option in 2026-27, when he will be 33 years old. Load management has come with a bit of a negative connotation and the new league rules require players to play at least 65 games to be eligible for awards, but the 76ers might have to take a different approach with Embiid.
Philadelphia believes it is a championship-caliber team with Embiid healthy, and there’s some truth to that. The 76ers were without Embiid for 12 of their first 46 games during the 2023-24 season, but they were fifth in offensive rating and eighth in defensive rating during that stretch. They were third in net rating behind the Celtics and Thunder, who captured the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences. So regardless of his health issues, Embiid isn’t going anywhere unless he wants out. That’s the question; how much does he need to force the issue?
Philadelphia’s roster and cap situation
Tyrese Maxey is due for a contract extension, and the 76ers could let him hit restricted free agency this offseason. That’s not necessarily a gamble since Philadelphia can go over the cap to sign him thanks to Bird rights but it would be wise to hold off that type of deal until other moves are made. The 76ers could open up around $55 million in cap space according to Spotrac, although the site says the maximum cap space for the team is closer to $72 million.
Tobias Harris has flopped in Philadelphia but that was largely due to his contract not matching his production. The 76ers should be interested in bringing him back and they might get him at a bargain since the market isn’t exactly buzzing with the possibility of adding him. Harris’ offense has been trending down but he remains a versatile player who can defend and is a veteran. That type of presence is solid to have in a locker room. Buddy Hield has tons of value as a perimeter shooter but he was seemingly iced out of the rotation despite being considered a big addition at the deadline. The 76ers should be interested in bringing him back. Nicolas Batum, De’Anthony Melton, Robert Covington and Kelly Oubre Jr. are all set to hit free agency. Batum and Melton probably have the best market but are also the best fits for Philadelphia around Embiid and Maxey.
Free agency
The biggest problem for the 76ers is who to target in free agency. LeBron James is the biggest fish but his future is uncertain. He has a $51 million player option and seems committed to the Lakers. James is highly unlikely to align himself with Embiid at this point in his career, and the 76ers might not want to commit to a 40-year-old entering Year 22 who has a recent string of injuries. James Harden and Paul George could also hit free agency, although both appear to be returning to the Clippers. The Harden bridge has been burned, and it’s hard to see George leaving Kawhi Leonard hanging even if he probably should bounce. The 76ers would be a great fit for George, so that’s a potential path to explore.
Klay Thompson is probably the next man up, and the 76ers should seriously consider throwing a major offer his way. Thompson had a rough season with the Warriors, but he remains one of the best shooters in league history and has recovered offensively from serious leg injuries. His defense will never get back to an All-NBA level but his offense could help Philadelphia significantly. The obvious issue is Thompson’s deep ties to the Warriors. He has won four championships with the team and likely wants to stay in the Bay Area. DeMar DeRozan is another veteran who the 76ers could be interested in but the Bulls want to bring him back. Unless he wants out, the 76ers probably don’t have a chance at landing him. Pascal Siakam appears committed to staying in Indiana after the Pacers acquired him at the trade deadline and just won a playoff series.
The trade market
Unless the 76ers are sold on Thompson, they’ll likely have to go to the trade market. The obvious problem here is the lack of assets, since Philadelphia has cap holds on most of its potential trade pieces and can’t actually deal those players until the deadline next season. However, there are more possibilities in this realm that Philadelphia should entertain. The 76ers cannot trade a first-round pick until 2028 but they can trade the player they draft in 2024 if a deal is agreed to on draft night.
The most obvious spot for a deal is Atlanta, where the Hawks have decisions to make on the backcourt with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Young was part of the Hawks team that eliminated Philadelphia in 2021 so there’s some bad blood there but fans should welcome his offense. Murray offers a bit more defensive upside but he was atrocious on that end of the floor this year. It would be fun to see a Young-Embiid pairing with Maxey playing more off the ball, although the Hawks would definitely want the young guard in a deal. That’s a non-negotiable for Philadelphia.
Embiid’s role this offseason
Daryl Morey has always been willing to make a big splash. Some of his moves have worked out, like Harden and Chris Paul in Houston. Some of them have not worked out, like Russell Westbrook in Houston and Harden in Philadelphia. The question now is whether the executive can deliver another star for Embiid and Maxey to work with. Even though he doesn’t have a lot of assets to work with, I don’t expect Morey to sit around and let Embiid run it back with this exact roster.
The big man likely will demand action, as he should. There are no guarantees with his health but there has to be a belief he will eventually be healthy at some point when the games matter. If that means additional load management at the cost of regular season awards, Embiid should welcome it. In return, Morey and the 76ers have to give him the best chance possible as he starts to trend downward from his insane peak. Embiid probably has two or three more seasons of being a perennial MVP candidate and that’s not something to waste hoping role players step up in playoff series. Embiid should push the 76ers to add a third star, and I expect Morey to explore every avenue this offseason.