Lakers urged to pursue trade for Joel Embiid with laughably low offer, per NBA analyst

There’s plenty of uncertainty surrounding Joel Embiid’s future with the Philadelphia 76ers. After his season ended prematurely due to a knee issue, there’s no telling if the 2023 NBA MVP will ever regain his form.

The Sixers could roll that dice believing he will, but there’s a case to be made that Philadelphia is better off trading him while they still can. Bill Simmons floated a trade between the Sixers and the Los Angeles Lakers that he believes could get the Sixers out from under Embiid’s lengthy and expensive contract. He proposed the following swap between the two teams.

Lakers get: Embiid

Sixers get: Two first-round picks, expiring contracts

Simmons explained why the Sixers would do it, saying, "Talk about a get out of jail free card.. We'll give you all of our expirings and a first, and we’ll get you out of the Joel Embiid business. Here’s your Embiid get out of jail free card right now. You don’t have to deal with him anymore.”

Simmons then explained why the Lakers would agree to the deal.

“That’s my favorite Lakers move, all their expirings and two first-round picks, and they get Embiid. Reaves isn’t in it.”

Simmons added that Austin Reaves wouldn’t be included in the deal. He doesn’t say it outright, but he insinuated that he also wouldn’t include LeBron James or Luka Doncic in this trade.

For the Lakers to make this work as Simmons pitched it, they would trade Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith (if he opts in), Maxi Kleber, and Gabe Vincent. In essence, this is a salary dump where the Sixers would be given some draft assets for their trouble.

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This may sound ridiculous, but excluding what the future holds for Embiid, the Lakers got their hands on Doncic when no one saw it coming and no one believed it when it was first announced. A trade like this would only happen if the Sixers desperately want to get Embiid off their payroll and can’t find any takers, or no one is willing to give them what they want.

Odds are, the Sixers aren’t there yet, but it may not be too long until they reach that point.

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