Joel Embiid Gives Honest Response to Sixers’ Offseason Moves

For the past few years, Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid has been one of the NBA’s top talents. However, his supporting cast hasn’t always been the best equipped to maximize his talents. Now with another new-look squad, the former MVP gave an honest answer when talking about keeping his focus on the big picture.

After James Harden requested a trade, Daryl Morey opted to play the long game. He executed a series of moves to create an abundance of cap space heading into this offseason. Things ended up paying off for them, but it did theoretically come at the cost of a year of Embiid’s prime.

While getting ready to play for Team USA in the Olympics, Embiid touched on the offseason moves the Sixers have made. He admitted that punting short-term success for the ability to contend for the foreseeable future did weigh on his patience at times.

“I’d be lying to say that patience wasn’t tested,” Embiid told ESPN. “Because I’m at the point where there’s no awards, there’s no regular season or no All-NBA or All-Stars is going to change the way my legacy is. Well, there’s a few things that can change it, but the main one is the championship.”

Waiting might have been tough, but it paid massive dividends for Embiid and the Sixers. Daryl Morey went right to work rounding out the roster around Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. His biggest splash was signing Paul George to a four-year deal. Other notable improvements in the margins includes signing veterans Andre Drummond and Caleb Martin.

With this new-look roster, Embiid arguably has the best team of his career around him. Alongside George and Maxey, he has a good opportunity to pursue the championship that has eluded him in the NBA.