Joel Embiid’s latest heated confrontation in the 76ers locker room has sparked rumors suggesting his time in Philadelphia could soon be coming to an end.
On Monday, the 76ers suffered a 106-89 loss to the Miami Heat to drop to 2-11 on the season – good for dead last in the Eastern Conference. On the heels of the contest – Philadelphia’s fourth consecutive defeat – veteran guard Kyle Lowry called for a team meeting in an attempt to right the ship.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, players and coaches took turns voicing the issues that have plagued the 76ers in “a much-needed heart-to-heart and a call to action and urgency.” Among the topics discussed during the tense sitdown was Embiid’s alleged lack of urgency this year.
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Per the report, Tyrese Maxey took aim at Embiid and his recurring tardiness, accusing the 30-year-old of arriving late “for everything.” The star point guard argued that his lackadaisical approach to team activities has negatively impacted the 76ers players and coaches.
“Tyrese loves Big Fella, but this is the elephant in the room,” an inside source who was present in the meeting told ESPN. Though Embiid didn’t push back on any of the complaints directed his way, he did question what the 76ers were trying to accomplish with many of their plays and strategies.
Taking to social media, droves of fans speculated that the tense meeting is an indicator that Embiid is on his way out of Philadelphia. “The biggest takeaway from this? Joel Embiid will be asking for a trade,” one X user wrote, with another adding: “Embiid with an all-time bait-and-switch operation. Convinced the desperate Sixers to give him that ridiculous extension and is now doing everything he can to get traded.”
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Joel Embiid has had multiple locker room confrontations this season (
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A third even encouraged the 76ers to trade away the 2022-23 NBA MVP, stating: “I know the Sixers just paid him, but they might need to consider a blockbuster trade to build around Maxey/McCain. You can get a massive haul for Joel and it would better set up their timeline for future success.”
This isn’t the first time that Embiid’s name has come up in trade rumors this season. Earlier this month, he and Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes got into a verbal spat that eventually turned physical.
On the heels of the 76ers’ 124-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Embiid exchanged words with the reporter before reportedly pushing his shoulder – prompting the team’s public relations chief to intervene. Following the incident, the NBA suspended him for three games without pay.
Yet following the punishment, one insider claimed that Embiid has shown little remorse for his actions – adding that should his poor behavior persist, the 76ers may have no other choice but to part ways with him.
“Joel has zero remorse over this incident and would do it again and again and again,” the source told DailyMail.com. “Team officials have made it clear; they don’t want this to ever happen again and have asked him to let this pass and be an unfortunate incident and they want him to be the bigger man and move on.
“If he abides, great, if he continues to do detrimental things then the franchise might have to consider trading him.”
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