When it comes to the Philadelphia 76ers, most are focused on how unhappy James Harden is that he hasn’t been traded yet. But could what’s going on with The Beard lead to Joel Embiid also demanding a trade? Apparently, the Knicks are still hoping for that to happen.
Not long after both New York and Philly were bounced from the NBA playoffs, rumors started circulating. Things cooled off rather quickly, and we haven’t heard much about an Embiid-Knicks connection since. And even if recent reports have no real weight, that won’t stop the rumor mill.
Here’s what NBA insider Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo! Sports said about Philly’s current situation and how it relates to Embiid when discussing Harden showing up to training camp:
Harden can go in and be a distraction — slightly dissimilar from what Ben Simmons pulled a couple years ago, which subsequently led to the Harden-for-Simmons swap months later.
But the difference is, Harden likely knows his standing in the public isn’t really going to change and he doesn’t come off like someone who cares if one’s opinion of him sinks to lower levels.
However, another preseason distraction could turn commissioner Adam Silver into a shade of copper, and send the reigning MVP over the edge and into Morey’s office to ask out.
“Everyone’s circling, waiting. The Knicks and Miami are keeping an eye on everything going on,” a league source told Yahoo Sports.
Well, that’d be interesting, wouldn’t it? As Goodwill stated himself, there’s been no inkling of Embiid itching to get out of Philly. But then again, things can change quickly. We all remember how the Brooklyn Nets traded Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in a blink of an eye, right?
There’s really nothing to these rumors yet, but it’s also something worth keeping an eye on.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on X: @mmusico8.
