Philadelphia 76ers general manager Elton Brand made it clear on Tuesday that the franchise is not looking to trade either of their two young all-star players.
"I'm not looking to trade Ben or Joel," Brand told the media, two days after the Sixers were swept by the Celtics in the first-round of the playoffs. "I'm looking to complement them better."
Embiid and Simmons have played in just two postseasons together. They are still only 26 and 24 years old, respectively, and they're both -- along with 28-year-old forward Tobias Harris -- under contract with the Sixers through the 2022-23 season, when Embiid is set to become a free-agent.
Just a few weeks ago before the playoffs began, Embiid joined The Rights To Ricky Sanchez podcast virtually from the NBA Bubble in Orlando and had this to say about him and Simmons.
"When you think about it, this is only our third year playing together," Embiid said of him and Simmons. "We've only played for three years. The potential that we have, I love him, I want to be with him for the rest of my career because I think he still has a lot of potential and me too, we can get so much better than we are right now. And like I don't see the point of ever playing with somebody else. That's someone I'd love to be playing with for the rest of my career."
Brand also told the media he believes 34-year-old Al Horford, who the Sixers signed to a four-year, $109 million contract last offseason, can fit on a championship team.
Brand's digital press conference comes less than 24 hours after the Sixers announced the firing of head coach Brett Brown.
The Sixers, according to Josh Harris and ownership, will search for a new coach and undergo significant change, while Brand is likely to "continue to oversee basketball operations."
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Former Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue and the Sixers reportedly have mutual interest.