Joel Embiid

The Philadelphia 76ers and All-Star center Joel Embiid have reached an agreement on a contract extension, a supermax deal that ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported will be worth $196 million over four years.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski added the Sixers superstar will earn a total of $261 million through the 2026-27 season between his current contract and the extension. 

Embiid put together a terrific 2020-21 campaign for the Sixers, averaging 28.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steals across 51 appearances. He shot a career-best 51.3 percent from the field and showcased improvement from beyond the arc, knocking down 37.7 percent of his threes.

The 27-year-old earned his fourth straight All-Star appearance and was selected to the All-NBA second team, which made him eligible for the supermax extension.

Philadelphia was eliminated from the playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and although Embiid was the team's top performer in the series, the 2014 first-round pick told reporters he accepted responsibility for the postseason exit:

"[I] just gotta be better. Personally I felt like I took a huge step this year, and there's so much more I can do. I can be so much better. ... There's so much more I can do. I progressed a lot this year, and next year I'm going to be even better. ... It's on me. I got to be better. I got to take another step with it comes to taking care of my body, and my game as a whole because I still feel like I have a lot of untapped potential that people haven't really seen."

The Sixers' inability to reach championship-level expectations led by the core of Embiid and point guard Ben Simmons raised questions about how the front office would handle the offseason.

Embiid's long-term extension should solidify him as the cornerstone of the Sixers roster for the foreseeable future. He earned the new deal and proved it's still possible for a post player to dominate games on a nightly basis, something that has become rarer in the modern NBA.

The deal also comes as speculation remains about Simmons' long-term future with the franchise. Leading up to the draft, Wojnarowski reported the Sixers were seeking a "[James] Harden-esque" return for their All-Star point guard. 

Thus far, no teams have been willing to meet Philadelphia's asking price for Simmons. 

Regardless of what happens with that situation, the 76ers getting a long-term commitment from Embiid allows the front office to build the roster around him for years to come.

Giving Embiid the supermax was an easy decision from Philadelphia's perspective based on his continued development to an MVP-level performer while shaking off the injury concerns of years past. Whether he was prepared to commit to the franchise for the long haul was a little less certain.

Getting the deal done is great news for the Sixers and gives them a little more clarity about their financial outlook in the years ahead.

Among many talking points between team personnel during the NBA's Las Vegas Summer League, the ongoing trade speculation regarding Ben Simmons potentially leaving the Philadelphia 76ers was still top of mind this past week. 

Each of Minnesota, Golden State, Sacramento and San Antonio has been consistently linked as a top Simmons destination, yet the overwhelming sense among league insiders continues to be that Simmons, for now, is expected to remain a Sixer once training camp opens on September 28—barring a change of temperature with Damian Lillard in Portland. 

That appears to be the ever-important undercurrent to what has been routinely described as a "James Harden-like" package Philadelphia is seeking for any Simmons return. 

For the Sixers and president Daryl Morey to move Simmons, it will be with an eye toward maximizing the prime of Joel Embiid, who signed a $196 million, 4-year extension Monday night. Therefore trading Simmons now for anything short of a haul that could immediately be flipped for Lillard, in the event he does request a trade, would be a devastating blow for Philadelphia's front office, and their efforts to pair Embiid with a bonafide superstar.  

But that Lillard request may not be coming anytime soon. 

There's certainly a possibility Lillard arrives at training camp, looks around Portland's locker room and determines the Trail Blazers roster has not been upgraded to his satisfaction. Yet there's a stronger belief in league circles that Lillard will at least venture into the regular season under new head coach Chauncey Billups, allowing him to revisit moving elsewhere before the trade deadline. 

Simmons, on the other hand, appears more than interested in playing for a new team. He expects to be traded and has not personally been in close contact with Morey, Embiid or head coach Doc Rivers this offseason, sources told Bleacher Report. Simmons' representation has further canvassed rival front offices, gauging their interest in creating a new home for the 25-year-old All-Star and this year's runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year. 

But it would be difficult for Cleveland, for example, to come up with an offer that can both pair Simmons with another Klutch Sports client in Darius Garland while also satisfying the Sixers' lofty asking price. 

Sacramento has no real avenue to land Simmons without sacrificing De'Aaron Fox. The Kings' star guard has drawn varying evaluations during B/R conversations around the league, but his value certainly appears higher than Simmons' at the moment. 

Dating back to Morey's tenure running Houston, he has traditionally begun trade talks with offers that his counterparts deem outlandish as a means to set an extreme parameter for the ongoing negotiation. This year, several rival executives told Bleacher Report they believe part of Philadelphia's calculus behind those unrealistic offers has also been to assure Simmons' camp that the Sixers are at least attempting to move him. 

Toronto, though, was never going to entertain a framework of acquiring Simmons for OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet and the No. 4 pick, which Philadelphia pitched the weekend before July's NBA draft.

And rumors that a three-team swap between Philadelphia, Golden State and Portland was gaining legitimate traction were categorically denied by Warriors and Blazers personnel. Golden State brass are considered to be quite high on the team's recent lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. 

Minnesota officials remain motivated in landing Simmons. That would be nothing short of a home run fulfilling the Timberwolves' ongoing search for a starting forward, and Simmons could do so in a playmaking role similar to Draymond Green. But it would be challenging for Minnesota to send back enough talent for Philly to reroute in a hypothetical Lillard pursuit, while still adding Simmons to a rising young Minnesota core. 

That leaves San Antonio as perhaps the most interesting potential trade partner. And there is a faction of the Spurs front office rumored to strongly covet Simmons. 

There's a well-documented history of Gregg Popovich incorporating Australian talent such as Patty Mills, Aron Baynes and others, along with New Zealander Sean Marks, not to mention the connection with former Spurs assistant and Simmons' first head coach, Brett Brown. 

Personnel who spent time with Team USA during the Tokyo Olympics also suggested to B/R that longtime Spurs shooting czar Chip Engelland would relish the opportunity to rework Simmons' mechanics, just as the noted assistant coach ironed out Kawhi Leonard's jump shot and others before him. 

San Antonio was open to discussing Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker IV before the draft, sources said, and the Spurs added more enticing future draft capital in their sign-and-trade that delivered DeMar DeRozan to Chicago. Could the starting points of that package be enough to truly intrigue Philly? Portland's eventual interest, as always, would factor heavily into any further discussions, too. 

Again, all these variables likely point to Simmons sticking around Philadelphia for the foreseeable future. 

There could always be an unforeseen team that emerges in the eleventh hour of this offseason to chase Simmons. Yet the NBA's summer activity has quieted. Most teams are focused on filling out their final roster spots, looking for a fourth point guard or a rangy wing to stash on their bench. 

Despite the awkward dynamic that could follow, Simmons may have no real choice but to join the Sixers in September and play his way to a new destination, regardless of the icy communication that has persisted all summer, dating back to Rivers' and Embiid's post-Game 7 press conferences.

Whether Simmons is amenable to that of course remains to be seen, but Philadelphia appears prepared for that outcome. Said one veteran front office voice, "Daryl is not afraid to go into training camp with a potentially combustible situation." 

Jake Fischer covers the NBA for Bleacher Report and is the author of Built to Lose: How the NBA's Tanking Era Changed the League Forever.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid did not undergo knee surgery to repair his torn meniscus, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

The All-Star center—who is finalizing a four-year, $196 million supermax contract extension, according to Shelburne—initially tore his right meniscus during the 76ers' first-round playoff series against the Washington Wizards.

Still, that didn't stop him from putting up huge numbers during Philadelphia's two-round postseason stay.

Before getting eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks, Embiid posted 30.4 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game across seven games in the second round of the playoffs (37.3 minutes per game). In four games during the first round, the 27-year-old racked up 24.0 points and 6.8 boards in just 23.8 minutes per game.

Assuming Embiid is back at 100 percent by the start of the 2021-22 season, he should once again have the Sixers in contention for the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed, regardless of Ben Simmons' status with the team.

The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to trade the No. 28 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, according to the PhillyVoice's Kyle Neubeck.

Neubeck reported "all signs point to Philadelphia moving No. 28 somewhere else." The front office is hopeful of flipping the pick for a proven veteran or future assets.

The Sixers are looking to win a title, so it's unlikely a prospect at the back end of the first round would immediately help them achieve that goal.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected Philly to land VCU guard Nah'Shon Hyland in his most recent mock draft. Hyland averaged 19.5 points per game and shot 44.7 percent from the field in 2020-21.

Head coach Doc Rivers wasn't afraid to lean on Tyrese Maxey this past season. Maxey averaged 15.3 minutes per game in the regular season and appeared in all 12 of the team's playoff games.

However, Neubeck cited Maxey and the young players already on the roster, explaining there may not be a ton of minutes available for another emerging talent to work on their development.

Philadelphia would probably struggle to land a difference-maker for a late first-round pick, but the selection could be leveraged to add depth behind Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

Playmaking is an obvious area of concern after the Sixers struggled in that area in the business end of the season. Aside from Simmons, the team labored to find a floor general in the postseason, with Tobias Harris and Embiid finishing second and third on the team in assists.

Depending on what happens with Danny Green, who's an unrestricted free agent, Philly could also flip its first-round pick for a vet who fits the three-and-D mold.

Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons figures to have a rumor mill all his own this offseason. Following a disappointing playoff run punctuated by an average of 6.3 points over his final three games, it's fair to wonder about his future alongside Joel Embiid (who also singled out a Simmons play as the turning point of Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks).

The trade rumors regarding Simmons started long before then, but they got much louder in the aftermath of the team's exit from the postseason. And a recent report in The Athletic by Shams Charania has turned the volume up even more.

"The 76ers have opened up trade conversations surrounding Simmons and have engaged with teams, sources told The Athletic," Charania wrote. "Those sources also say that teams that have engaged with the 76ers about Simmons have been met with a high price threshold for the three-time All-Star.

"'(The 76ers) want an All-Star-caliber player in return,' one source with knowledge of the ongoing talks said.

"Make no mistake: Interest across the league in Simmons remains robust. He's turning just 25 this month, was an All-NBA team member in 2019-20, is a two-time All-Defensive first-team member and a Rookie of the Year award winner. Simmons is under contract through 2025, making him the type of superstar talent that rarely becomes available at an attainable price at this juncture of his career."

The lofty asking price makes sense. Philly was never going to give up one of the game's most uniquely productive players for nothing (Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson are the only players in NBA history with at least as many points, rebounds and assists through their first 275 games).

76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey may still be in that "shoot for the moon and land among the stars" mode, though. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, he's hoping to add Damian Lillard:

"All teams covet the biggest stars, but Morey is especially obsessive about it. He will surely tune out the naysayers who suggest Simmons can no longer be the centerpiece for the acquisition of a Bradley Beal-type superstar. Portland's CJ McCollum has been mentioned often as a potential Sixers target in a Simmons deal; rest assured that Morey longs for Damian Lillard if he is targeting any Trail Blazer."

Unless Lillard demands a trade from the only NBA team he's ever played for (and there were rumblings reported by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports earlier in the summer that that could happen), talks centered around he and Simmons should be a non-starter for the Portland Trail Blazers.

All the previous praise for Simmons aside, it's clear his limitations as a scorer—particularly an outright refusal to shoot, at times—are a problem. In an NBA where shooting is as highly valued as it is now, building effective and malleable lineups with Simmons at the 1 isn't easy.

With Lillard, scoring is almost a given. Over the last three seasons, Portland's points per 100 possessions has ranked no lower than the 95th percentile when Lillard is on the floor.

He changes the geometry of the floor with 30-plus-foot range, has averaged 28.0 points and 3.7 threes since 2018-19 and is seventh in league history in career offensive box plus/minus (BPM is a "basketball box score-based metric that estimates a basketball player's contribution to the team when that player is on the court, according to Basketball Reference).

Lillard may be 31, but he's been a loyal face of the franchise for nearly a decade and is still a borderline top-10 player. There are also far fewer questions about his game than there are with Simmons, who still feels like an unfinished product (which could be sold as a good or bad thing).

But even if Lillard doesn't ask out, Philadelphia shouldn't cut off communication with the Blazers. The McCollum-for-Simmons idea has persisted for months (this writer first suggested it over a year ago) because it makes so much sense for both sides.

It's always tough to predict the smaller pieces in trade puzzles, like draft compensation and salary filler, but if those two are the headliners, it feels like a win-win.

The Trade: CJ McCollum and a 2023 first-round pick for Ben Simmons

That may be too simple. Philadelphia could insist on additional draft compensation, and Portland probably shouldn't dig its heels in there (would a 2024 pick swap get it done?). Either team could have eyes on lower-value contracts from the other. But the fact that a straight-up swap of these two works under the collective bargaining agreement doesn't hurt the rumors.

If it is this easy, it helps both teams.

Portland is 11th in win percentage and third in points per 100 possessions since McCollum became a full-time starter in the 2015-16 season, but it's fair to think they may have plateaued following a first-round loss to a Denver Nuggets team that was without Jamal Murray.

The biggest problem is likely that, over the same stretch, the Blazers are 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions. And a small backcourt devoid of high-end defenders is the culprit there. Adding Simmons, a Defensive Player of the Year finalist this season, would instantly add credibility on that end.

With him at the point of attack, Jusuf Nurkic as the anchor and Robert Covington on the wing or roaming, Portland would at least have the skeleton of a good defense.

Offensively, Simmons could fill something of a light-years-era Draymond Green role. He could share the ball-handling responsibilities with Lillard while also being a weapon as a passer or finisher out of rim runs. And on the possessions Simmons would control, Lillard would obviously be a prime catch-and-shoot option (he had a 67.4 effective field-goal percentage on such looks in 2020-21).

For Philadelphia, this is a downgrade in terms of raw talent, defensive upside, age (Simmons is five years younger) and size (McCollum is eight inches shorter), hence, the addition of some draft compensation from Portland. An increase in cohesiveness can make up for a good portion (and possibly all) of that, though.

For years, Simmons and Embiid have been in each other's way on offense. When surrounded by enough shooting, it hasn't really mattered in the regular season. In fact, the Sixers have scored 2.5 more points per 100 possessions when those two are together than they do when Embiid plays without Simmons.

The issue of their clashing styles has reared its ugly head in huge moments, though. Simmons is a slasher who almost never scores outside of five feet from the rim. Embiid is a bruising, old-school 5 who can dominate most interior defenders. When both are on the floor, opponents have no fear of packing the paint.

With McCollum, who shot 40.2 percent from three and posted career highs in points (23.1), three-point attempts (8.9) and assists (4.7) per game in 2020-21, the spacing issue would almost certainly be solved.

Opposing guards would have to honor the perimeter more, which would reduce the number of double-teams faced by Embiid (or at least give him a bit more time before they arrive). And when the defensive attention is focused on the big man, McCollum would have an extra half-second or so on his catches for jumpers or closeout attacks.

You can almost see the synergy before the deal is even made.

Now, there may be some concern that McCollum isn't a true point guard, but he's had plenty of experience in that role as something of a part-time backup for Lillard. Over the last two seasons, when Lillard is off the floor, McCollum has averaged 26.4 points and 6.6 assists per 75 possessions. And in today's NBA, playing point guard no longer has to mean engineering every possession. Philly could still run plenty through Embiid or Tobias Harris.

Again, whatever drop-off in talent may result from this deal, it's hard to argue against the fit of McCollum with the Sixers.

They'll surely survey the trade market for other options. And there is no strong indication that McCollum is even available. But this swap makes almost too much sense not to happen.

All statistics obtained via Cleaning The Glass, Stathead, PBP Stats, Basketball Reference and NBA.com, unless otherwise stated.

For the second straight season, Luka Doncic is set to be the preseason favorite for NBA MVP.

DraftKings Sportsbook released its odds for the 2021-22 season Wednesday, with Doncic coming in as a +400 favorite (bet $100 to win $400). Joel Embiid is second in the odds at +700, while Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo are all tied at +800.

Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic is surprisingly listed at +1500 to repeat. 

The Doncic MVP hype train is understandable, given he finished fourth in 2019-20 and sixth in 2020-21. All it would take is the Mavericks taking the next step as a team in order for Doncic to get himself in the conversation for the individual accolade.

Doncic's numbers are already there. He averaged 27.7 points. 8.0 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game this season, all while showing improvement as a three-point shooter and acting as the Mavericks' offensive fulcrum. Doncic also is not the same injury concern as Embiid, who has missed significant time every year of his NBA career.

None of the lower-odds selections appear to be great bets at this point. Trae Young (+1800) has some momentum after the Hawks' run to the Eastern Conference Finals, but his night-to-night inconsistency could hurt him over the course of a full 82-game season. Devin Booker, James Harden and Anthony Davis all have superstar teammates who get more public shine.

Jokic as a repeat winner may actually be the smartest bet on the board. There's little reason to think his numbers will dip any from this season, and he'll have to shoulder more of an individual load with Jamal Murray likely missing much of the 2021-22 campaign. If Jokic keeps Denver in the top half of Western Conference playoff teams, 15-1 will seem like a bargain. 

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