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James Harden wants to leave the 76ers, right now. What if his co-star, Joel Embiid — who won NBA MVP last season — eventually feels the same way? It’s worth noting the 29-year-old big man recently removed Philadelphia references from social media accounts.
Should Harden and Embiid both leave, that would seemingly thrust the Sixers into a rebuild. In that scenario, could a team rich with young prospects and future draft capital, such as the Houston Rockets, potentially make a play for Embiid?
Kelly Iko, who covers the Rockets and the NBA for The Athletic, seems to believe it’s at least possible. Here’s what he said in a newly released episode of The Athletic NBA Show:
Another team (to watch) is Houston, just because of the bond between Joel and Ime (Udoka).
Maybe in the next year or so … because obviously, if Joel stays this season and plays it out, that’s one thing.
But moving forward, I do think New York and Houston are the two teams to watch if Joel said, ‘I want to leave, too.’
Udoka was present at Embiid’s wedding earlier this summer, and Embiid liked a tweet in April announcing that Houston had hired Udoka — a 76ers assistant coach in 2019-20 — as its head coach.
From Philadelphia’s perspective, it might be more palatable to send Embiid from the Eastern Conference to the West, as opposed to an East rival (the Knicks) located about 100 miles away.
From Houston’s perspective, if the Rockets want Embiid, it can’t happen particularly soon. Embiid is slated to make $47.6 million next season, and the Rockets can’t realistically match salaries on a potential trade until their wave of 2023 offseason signings become trade eligible in the middle of the upcoming 2023-24 season.
But should Embiid ask out prior to the February 2024 trade deadline or in the subsequent offseason, the Rockets could potentially tempt the Sixers with prospects and draft capital. From Embiid’s end, there is a connection to Udoka, and the Rockets could be more competitive in the near future after further development from young prospects and recent veteran signings such as Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks.
For now, Embiid hasn’t asked out of Philadelphia, and the Rockets aren’t equipped to trade for him, even if he did. But it’s a storyline to monitor over the coming months, particularly if the situation with the 76ers doesn’t improve and should the Rockets appear slightly closer to playoff contention than many currently expect.
Embiid averaged 33.1 points (54.8% FG, 33.0% on 3-pointers), 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 34.6 minutes last season.
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