![Apr 6, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) against the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports](jpg/20458722-850x560.jpg)
Apr 6, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) against the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Knicks hater believes Joel Embiid won’t be only superstar to go to New York
Does Joel Embiid love the New York Knicks? Or does he not? The NBA isn’t middle school, although at times the drama can be similar, but Leon Rose and the front office are hoping Embiid will be the next star to request a trade from the Sixers.
On Aug. 18, Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill reported, “many around the league believe Embiid will ask out sooner rather than later — and that a full rebuild is what Morey is covertly hoping for.”
If that’s what Morey is going for, he and the Sixers are on the right track. Morey’s relationship with James Harden went up in flames this summer, which is interesting, considering Harden’s ties with Morey helped lead him to Philadelphia in the first place.
The idea of Embiid requesting a trade grows by the day as the Harden drama continues, and even notorious Knicks hater Richard Jefferson believes the reigning MVP will wind up in New York. On the Road Trippin’ Show with Jefferson and Channing Frye, the former Nets forward said he thinks Embiid will “eventually” be on the Knicks.
RJ Jefferson explains why he believes Joel Embiid will ‘eventually’ be on Knicks
Richard Jefferson believes Jalen Brunson arriving on the scene and leading New York to the second round of the playoffs will help lure Joel Embiid to the Knicks and another superstar, too.
“If you try and get a player to come in and be a superstar and save your organization, there’s going to be a problem. No one wanted to come be the savior of the New York Knicks. Now that they have talent, they’ve built within, they’ve got core pieces, they’ve got an All-Star point guard in Brunson, now guys are going to want to play there. I think Joel Embiid and another superstar will end up in New York.”
The 2022-23 season was a game-changer for New York, not only because the team made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the first time in a decade. The front office has been stockpiling assets to make a star trade, and the season proved the Knicks were a winning team.
Every player in the NBA wants to win, and although Embiid implied he was trolling when he said he wanted to win a championship, whether in Philadelphia or elsewhere, the bottom line is he still wants to win. He has his MVP trophy, but with the Sixers, he’s been unable to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Star talent should want to go to New York and play with a point guard like Brunson, but if Embiid is eventually traded to the Knicks, the star center can easily draw another superstar to The Big Apple. That’s how the NBA works.
Who knows if a Joel Embiid trade will happen during the 2023-24 season, next offseason, or at all? The catastrophe in Philadelphia is playing in New York’s favor, though. The Sixers look more like a disaster than a contender, and while that could change, the Knicks are hoping Daryl Morey won’t be able to clean up Philadelphia’s mess.