The Sixers Are Wasting a Prime Joel Embiid Season

With a little less than half of the regular season left to go, the Philadelphia 76ers decision not to trade Ben Simmons yet is flat-out wasting a career year from Joel Embiid

After the Philadelphia 76ers lost in the second round in shocking fashion to the Atlanta Hawks on their home floor last season, everyone got the sense that changes needed to be made. The most obvious and glaring one being parting ways with Ben Simmons, who looked completely scared to shoot the ball or take initiative whatsoever in that series especially. The problem was the team had just signed him to a whopping extension the previous summer, and the subsequent questioning of his attitude and long-term status by Coach Doc Rivers and star center Joel Embiid after that bitter Game 7 loss served to hamper his trade value moving forward even further.

Because of Simmons hitting the basement of his trade value, the Sixers have elected to not trade him. Team President Daryl Morey has remained adamant on requesting ridiculously over the top trade packages in hopes that one team might be stupid enough to pull the trigger. It hasn’t happened yet, and the league’s trade deadline continues to draw closer and closer.

And there’s no indication now that it will since Morey has said that he’s willing to wait until the summer to deal Simmons, especially if James Harden becomes available.

The problem with this mentality is, is waiting to deal Simmons to acquire a then 33-year old Harden who has yet to win a title in his otherwise statistically decorated career, really the best route moving forward?

Especially when one considers what this means for this season, where you’re essentially punting it away during an MVP-caliber season from Embiid, who is currently averaging 28.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.4 bpg, and shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and 39% from downtown. He’s helped guide the Sixers to a 27-19 record, which is currently the sixth best in the East.

But watching the team this season, you just get this sense that they are in this state of arrested development, and that the Simmons component is still looming and weighing on them heavily. And it’s a shame, because with Embiid being 27 years old, you must begin questioning how many prime years he has left in the tank. Especially when you consider his injury prone status and how many times he’s been out with leg issues especially. It’s pretty amazing he’s the player he is today given how many injuries he had to deal with at the very beginning of his NBA career, when he played just 31 games in his first three seasons.

And one couldn’t blame him if he was perhaps frustrated by his front office’s inaction to acquire him a legitimate wingman who he can count on in the playoffs. Let’s face it Sixers fans – you’re forever going to be nervous about Tobias Harris disappearing in the playoffs because you’ve seen that happen before. He’s a third banana and honestly, he’s best suited for that kind of role anyways. He’s not a #2 guy.

And speaking of the Sixers front office – part of the identity crisis the team is facing right now is exemplified by the power structure with this brass. If Elton Brand is the General Manager, why is nearly every single trade rumor involving Simmons referencing Morey as the shot-caller - when he’s not the GM? Shouldn’t Brand have the final say and be the one making the calls? As of now, he appears to be nothing more than a figurehead and at best, an advisor to Morey. Who’s really in charge and if it’s not Brand, why not just cut ties and make Morey the GM so you get a sense of control within the organization?

At this point, due to the current makeup of the team and the dysfunction within the front office, the Sixers appear destined to be a first round exit this year, maybe a second round exit at the very best. Which would put them in the exact same situation they found themselves in last year. If they don’t trade Simmons by the deadline and waste this prime-time season from Embiid, it’ll serve as another disappointing chapter in a team that has collected so much talent over the last half decade especially – and has no Finals appearances, or even Eastern Conference Finals appearances, to show for it.