The Philadelphia 76ers don’t have many tradable assets to retool around Joel Embiid
Aside from Tyrese Maxey, it’s hard to identify any other tangible assets on the Philadelphia 76ers’ roster that they could use to retool around Joel Embiid. And if it’s true that the Sixers aren’t willing to trade Maxey, then the Sixers have practically no assets to do much around Embiid. That includes their shallow draft capital cabinet. The Sixers can’t legally trade a first-round pick until 2029. That complicates any pursuit of a star for the Sixers.
So if the Sixers aren’t able to trade James Harden for a strong package, they’re in a bad spot in terms of retooling moving forward. If the Sixers know they can’t successfully retool around Embiid on the fly, then there’s no reason to keep him on the roster. It’s not fair to Embiid and, in the long run, it won’t be fair to the fan base.
By trading Embiid, the Sixers would completely replenish their asset cabinet and be in a better position to pursue a young star. Looking at where the Sixers stand as an organization, it’s not outlandish to say that the Embiid championship window in Philadelphia has closed.