Known NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski has come out of retirement to announce Joel Embiid being traded to the Washington Wizards.
Full trade details (as reported by Wojnarowski):
Wizards Receive: Joel Embiid, a 2026 Second round pick, and a 2028 first round pick top 10 protected
76ers Receive: Saddiq Bey, Khris Middleton, former 76ers/Deleware Bluecoat Richaun Holmes, a 2025 first round pick, a 2026 first round pick, a 2027 first round pick, a 2028 first round pick, and a 2025 second round pick
The trade comes as a surprise as he has been the cornerstone of the 76ers since being drafted third overall back in 2014. Embiid has only played in 452 of those 902 regular season games though. He has missed the first 2 seasons of his career in the league but has been the heart and soul of “The Process.”
These injuries in his career have left a sour taste in Philadelphia fans’ mouths as people were becoming annoyed with his consistency of being out. Embiid has only played 19 games this season due to ongoing issues with his left knee. Experts are saying it may be caused by a torn meniscus he had in 2024 but was repaired. He had to take a lot of injections of Toradol before every one of those games he played in this season. Many of these fans have been commenting and tweeting about the possibility of Embiid leaving Philadelphia.
This trade opens the window of winning a championship. After a very bad and disappointing 2024-2025 season for the Sixers, they traded Embiid at the highest value he will be at for the rest of his career since he is 31. The Wizards were able to dump Middleton who did not fit well into Washington. The Wizards giving up their draft capital for the next 4 years should really scare Washington. If it becomes a failure they will be a bottom team in the league for another 5 years at least. The Sixers’ outlook for the future seems very bright. With this trade, they extend their ability to compete for a ring. Star guard Tyrese Maxey had thoughts on this trade.
“I love my big fella to death,” said Maxey, who’s now expected to be the new face of the franchise. “He brought me in as a freshly 20-year-old kid right out of college in 2020. This was after a weird covid college basketball season but I was blessed to share the court with him for these last few years. The city showed tough love to him but they both knew that they loved each other when it all came to it. I am going to miss him as a teammate, a friend and a brother but I wish him the best of luck in DC.”
Jared McCain also shared his thoughts about the trade as well as on his TikTok account’s future.
“I really wish I had more time with him to be honest,” said Sixers guard Jared McCain. “The way we could have spread the floor together on the court would have been lethal with Rese especially. Injuries really hurt his amazing career but I really hope he is able to bounce back from the knee injury. Also it sucks that he was not healthy enough to make TikToks with me throughout the season. It would have been a great TikTok for my account and could have blown up. It may have even had more views than me singing “2 Days Into College”.”
During the offseason rumors rumbled about the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat offering for the seven-time All-Star. It was rumored that the Sixers shot all the trades down to keep him in Philadelphia for the rest of his career. There were some very bold thoughts from people in the Philadelphia organization. Here is what some other Sixers had to say about it.
“Behind the scenes, he has been a huge help in progressing my game,” said Sixers center Adem Bona. Being just out of college he has helped me improve my game and let me have fewer weaknesses. On the offensive side, he has taught me a new move after every other practice to add to my bag. I want to improve my midrange jumper so I can be as dominant as he was here. It is hard shoes to fill but I want to be as great as Jo was to this city.”
“Joel was an amazing kid coming out of college, said former Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie, who drafted Embiid back in 2014. “I remember him being thrilled when President Silver announced his pick back in 2014. Mentally his first two years were very difficult waiting to be able to get back on the court. This guy is a fighter and showed it in his time in Philly. He played through injuries during his time here. I also have to thank Luc Mbah A Moute for helping us find the gem he is in Cameroon. I know Joel was also very blessed and thankful for Luc to give him a chance in this league.
TMZ Spotted Embiid going to the airport after the trade and was seen crying. He seemed very upset at the blindsided trade but business is business.
Colin Tomczak 
Eva Whited