On the heels of Joel Embiid's viral comments about possibly playing "somewhere else," The Athletic's Sam Amick reports that the Philadelphia 76ers believes Embiid would like to remain with the organization for his entire career.
Embiid hinted at the idea of possibility leaving Philadelphia and playing for another franchise recently in an interview with Maverick Carter.
"I just want to win a championship," Embiid told Carter last Thursday at the first annual UNINTERRUPTED Film Festival at NeueHouse Hollywood.
"Whatever it takes," Embiid continued. "I don't know where that's going to be. Whether it's in Philly or anywhere else. I just want to have a chance to accomplish it. I want to see what it feels like to win that first one and then you can think about that next one. It's not easy. It takes more than one, two, three guys. Got to have good people around you."
Embiid took to Twitter and claimed he was trolling with his comments.
The Philadelphia fans and media did not react well to Embiid's comments, which went viral on Monday, nor his tweets on the topic.
Embiid is literally called "The Process" and has been at the top of the food chain in Philadelphia sports since he was drafted third overall by the Sixers in 2014.
The 29-year-old has continued to ascend throughout his NBA career after an injury-riddled beginning, winning the 2022-23 NBA MVP award, but ultimately the city has begun to question whether or not Embiid can lead a team to a title after losing in the first or second-round of the playoffs in six consecutive seasons.
Embiid is under contract for the next three seasons set to make $47.6 million, $51.4 million, and $55.2 million, respectively, before he has a $59 million player option for the 2026-27 season.
As a team, the Sixers are somewhat stuck with limited assets, and Embiid likely realizes that. This offseason, the team replaced head coach Doc Rivers with Nick Nurse, a move that reportedly "blind sided" Embiid. Furthermore, Embiid's co-star James Harden reportedly wants to be traded, specifically to the Los Angeles Clippers, and Philadelphia had zero draft picks in this year's NBA Draft.
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