Joel Embiid and the poorly received McCain trade
The Philadelphia 76ers are facing a delicate post-playoff moment, marked by front office changes and internal tension. At the center of it all is Joel Embiid, reportedly unhappy with key roster decisions
After the Philadelphia 76ers’ playoff run ended with a second-round sweep, attention quickly shifted away from the court and toward owner Josh Harris, who confirmed Nick Nurse as head coach but removed Daryl Morey from his role as President of Basketball Operations.
While Bob Myers continues evaluating every possible path to identify Morey’s successor, a new behind-the-scenes storyline involving the face of the franchise, Joel Embiid, has surfaced in recent hours.
The report came from The Athletic’s Tony Jones, who said the Philadelphia star has been disappointed with some of the organization’s recent moves.
Embiid and some of his teammates were unhappy with the decision to send McCain to the Thunder
Tony Jones
According to Jones, once Embiid learned that Morey and the front office intended to include McCain in a trade, he reportedly pleaded with team executives to find other ways to get below the luxury tax.
The move that sent the 2004-born guard to the defending champions and brought the Sixers a first-round pick and three second-round picks in the upcoming Draft was designed to avoid further penalties, create additional cap flexibility, and promote the increasingly involved Dominick Barlow from a two-way contract to a standard NBA deal.
The development and responsibilities handed to V.J. Edgecombe, along with the reliability provided by Quentin Grimes, further encouraged the front office to take that route.
Still, beyond outside speculation, the message behind Josh Harris’ latest move appears clear: making sure the leaders, players, coaching staff and franchise are all operating on the same page.