Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn. (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)
The Philadelphia 76ers once again failed to make it past the second round. Here are three teams Joel Embiid should request a trade to if he were to do so.
The Philadelphia 76ers had long said to their fanbase: “Trust the process.” While that mantra has been repeated every year, it has lost its luster, especially with the lack of playoff success.
This is a team that hasn’t made it to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001. They certainly had their chance, as they were up 3-2 in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Boston Celtics. Instead, they had to play in a Game 7.
Once again, the 76ers failed to finish the job, falling in Game 7 get eliminated from the playoffs.
With that, the 76ers have to once again figure out what went wrong and try to build a roster to get the most out of its potential. This is likely the last Philadelphia fans will see James Harden on the team. Would there be another star to exit, like Joel Embiid?
Embiid just won the 2022-23 NBA MVP award, the first of his career. But could he demand a trade elsewhere to have a better chance of winning a championship? Look, it’s entirely unlikely that Embiid is going to get traded. But as is the case every NBA season, superstars can demand a trade out of the blue, and get their wish.
Zach Braziller of the New York Post reports that there have been “whispers” that Embiid could want out of Philadelphia if Harden were to leave for the Houston Rockets this offseason.
If Embiid were to demand a trade, and we stress “if Embiid were to demand a trade,” here are three teams he should consider.
3 teams Joel Embiid should demand a trade to, No. 3: Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets have tried out the superteam method in hopes of it bringing in their first Larry O’Brien Trophy. But, the combination of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Harden/Ben Simmons didn’t pan out. They won just one playoff series in four years. This past season, the superteam was effectively blown up after both Irving and Durant requested trades.
Even after moving on from Durant and Irving, the Nets were still able to make it into the playoffs. Head coach Jacque Vaughn got the most out of Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Nic Claxton, and more to clinch the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, thus avoiding the play-in tournament.
The Nets do need a big presence to score points in the paint. According to TeamRankings.com, the Nets averaged the second-fewest points in the paint per game this past season with 43.6. Getting Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP, would certainly provide a huge boost to the team.
