The Philadelphia 76ers gives an update on injured center Joel Embiid. They also estimated his trade value. Will this spark rumors that he's on the market?
NBA Trade Rumors can emerge from the most unlikely source, like a statement that sparked DeMarcus Cousins-Carmelo Anthony trade scenarios.
The Sixers are very cautious with Joel Embiid, and maybe they are ready to consider another path. Of course, of all teams, they are the ones who could afford to wait, but if a decent offer is made, Embiid may no longer be as "untouchable" as he used to be.
From Liberty Ballers trade value article, they mention what Embiid would probably be worth:
"It's reasonable that a team would gamble on Embiid with a mid-round pick. I can't say the same about a lottery selection," as mentioned in the article.
"They cited the Toronto Raptors as an example. In the same draft that Joel Embiid went third overall, the Toronto Raptors selected Bruno Caboclo 20th overall out of Brazil. Caboclo was a relative unknown even for draft experts not named Fran Fraschilla, who memorably described Caboclo as being 'two years away from being two years away.'"
The argument is that Embiid is a sure talent, at least compared to Caboclo, but he has health issues. Considering everything, including the fact that AP reported Embiid had surgery last August 18 which will sideline him for another season, he's still worth a mid-round draft pick. Whether this is the Sixers way of informing teams of Embiid's possible price can only be speculated.
Meanwhile, on the plus side, the 21 year old is still growing, according to coach Brett Brown, in an interview with Anthony Gargano and Jon Marks on The Fanatic was quoted by Fox:
"I get a text from Joel a few weeks ago in the middle of the night that said: 'Guess how tall I am.' And so I guessed seven-foot. Two minutes later he texts back 'You're wrong, I'm 7'2″.' I text back 'How do you know this?' He texts back 'Doctors. I'm 7'2″ in sandals.' And when you stand next to him, when you're around big men you understand the difference between seven-foot and seven-two, and he is 7'2″."
While that's remarkable, one thing other teams must see is how Embiid recovers from multiple injuries and surgeries. That will determine his worth and whether he would really be a trade chip.