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Joel Embiid Expresses Loyalty to Sixers Amid Harden Drama

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Author Anthony Gargano Show Author and Dylan MacKinnon
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 11: 1James Harden #1 and Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers talk against the Boston Celtics during the third quarter in game six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the 2023 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on May 11, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Sixers are in the worst place they have been during the whole Process era. At least when they were tanking, there was hope for the future. But now, fans have hit an all-time low in Sixers optimism. Five second-round exits in 6 years will do that. But to make it worse, we also have the James Harden drama. Harden wants to be traded, but there are no good trades to be made. So now Harden is basically holding the Sixers hostage. To make everything worse, unless they can work something out with Harden, this does not look like a winning roster right now. And that has fans concerned Joel Embiid may ask out.

But at least on that front, there is good news. Ramona Shelburne recently posted an entire story diving into the Harden and Sixers drama. Which is definitely worth checking out because as per usual with Ramona Shelburne, it is a fantastic article. But buried at the end of the story is a short paragraph, which should assuage fears Joel Embiid will ask out, at least for now.

“Thus far, Embiid has given the franchise assurances he is OK riding out the current drama with Harden, sources said. How long he gives them to resolve the matter remains to be seen.”

It is good to see that Embiid is understanding of the situation the Sixers are in. Despite how last season ended, Embiid is still the best thing to happen to the Sixers in a long time. And if they lost him, they would be in serious trouble.

The rest of the article is less promising for the Sixers, as it exposes just how broken the relationship between Harden and the Sixers is. It is hard to see a way that all works out well for them. You don’t come away from reading and thinking Harden is a reasonable person willing to make nice. But at the very least, Embiid is willing to ride out this awful situation, for now.

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7 Things Daryl Morey Said When He Joined Anthony Gargano Today

The Sixers are in a very difficult position. James Harden wants out, and the trade offers they are reportedly getting back do not move the needle. They are coming off their 5th 2nd round exit in this era. They have next to no money to make any more moves in free agency. All of the above has led to fans losing patience a little bit with this Sixers team, and it is hard to blame them. And the man in charge of somehow fixing this situation is Sixers President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey. And today he joined The Anthony Gargano Show to discuss some of those issues surrounding the Sixers

What is Daryl Morey’s plan to turn things around this summer? How does he see the James Harden situation panning out? What did Joel Embiid mean by his elsewhere comments? Can Nick Nurse make a big enough difference to get this team over the top? And how does he balance making the team better this year while also making sure they are good going forward too? Daryl Morey and Anthony Gargano got into all of that and more.

Here is some of what Daryl Morey had to say when he joined Anthony Gargano today:

  • Won't Trade James Harden Unless They Get Star Power Back

    “James is a very good player. Right now, unfortunately, he does prefer to be somewhere else. I do have a long relationship with him, and I am attempting to honor that. If we do look at a trade, it will be for one of two things. Either a player who helps us be right there like we were last year. Up 3-2 on one of the best teams in the East, the Celtics. Obviously, we didn’t get it done, but James is one of the reasons we were up 3-2.  

    Or we are going to do it where we get enough draft picks so we can turn those into a player who can be a running mate with Joel. If we don’t get either a very good player or something we can turn into a very good player, then we will just not do it. If James were to turn his mind around, we would all be thrilled. But at this moment he prefers to be traded, and we are attempting to honor that.”

  • Harden's Contract Situation Is Why He Wants Out

    “He is wishing for a different situation contractually. That has been the main desire for looking for a new situation. At this point, if we can do something that is win–win, we will look at it. But if we can’t, then we won’t.”

  • Wants Fans To Know He Understands Why They Are Upset

    “I know. I live here in Center City. I talk to fans all the time. They are very passionate, and they give me the business. Everyone should know I care, I care as much as them. I feel their pain. Losing the way we did, the fact that this has happened over and over. I do nothing else but try to figure out how to get this team over the hump. The reality is sometimes that involved some pain, and not doing things that are short term thinking.”

  • Number One Goal is To Find Joel Embiid a Running Mate

    “We need to make sure that Joel Embiid, one of the best players on Earth, has a top running mate. That could be Maxey having a leap forward. Coach Nurse I know is very excited about his conversation with Joel, and how he is going to use him. I still can’t believe how he keeps getting better.”

  • Tells Fans To Not Focus on The Roster In July

    “Obviously, right now, things are not looking perfect. You have to squint to figure out how things are going to work. But at the end of the day, try not to focus on the roster in July. We have too much of this, not enough of that. Try to focus on what the roster will look like during the season. And frankly we do have a lot of put up or shut up fans, that I don’t mind, who say the regular season doesn’t matter. Well, if that is the case, let’s focus on the roster as we go into the playoffs, not really worry about the roster in July.”

  • Claims The Sixers Could Be in A Very Good Position This Time Next Year

    “A lot of the depth we lost, if we did something to bring them back, it would have hurt our ability to compete down the road. What we are attempting to do is not just have the best team this season, but also have the ability to be a very unique team with the most cap room for a team that is as good as us. The new CBA next year will put massive constraints downwards on salaries in the league. So us being the only team with a top player, where another player can join, puts us in a very unique situation.”  

  • On Joel Embiid's "Elsewhere" Comments

    “Ha! He had some fun with that yesterday, that was a very Joel day yesterday. I spoke to him at length, he is very excited. Coach Nurse is planning to do some innovative things for training camp that Joel is excited about. At the end of the day he was talking about the business side of things in the NBA. He wants to win in Philly. That is the only plpace he wants to win. He was referencing the fact it is not totally in his control.” 

  • Listen to the full conversation below:

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Author Anthony Gargano Show Author and Dylan MacKinnon
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