Bill Simmons opened some eyes around the NBA world when he floated a trade idea on his podcast of the Lakers throwing all of their expiring contracts and perhaps a first-round pick to the Sixers for Joel Embiid.
LA, which traded away Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, is in need of a center, and Embiid is one of the best in basketball when healthy. The “when healthy” caveat is massive given Embiid’s knee issues, and given those questions about his health coupled with his contract, the Morning Show crew is torn on whether they would accept that hypothetical trade proposal.
“You get basically nothing back,” Joe DeCamara said. “But you just remove Embiid from the salary cap, though you also remove his talent if he is ever good again.”
Jon Ritchie isn’t sure if he is ready to give up on the Embiid era given his production when he’s able to stay on the court, but the idea of shedding that salary cap and building around Tyrese Maxey plus their lottery pick this year is undeniably enticing.
“It’s so tempting, because it’s exasperating, the way we’ve all been through this,” Ritchie said. “You’re ready to just say ‘Yeah, I want to wash my hands of this.’ But I need to know for sure. I can’t just do this.”
DeCamara says there is no certainty when it comes to Embiid, which is why a trade shouldn’t be out of the question.
“You’re not gonna know for sure,” DeCamara said. “The Sixers and Lakers would be taking a leap of faith on both ends.”