The NBA’s dog days of summer are upon us, and San Antonio Spurs fans should brace themselves for bad team-related trades. This one involves Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid, with him being sent to the Spurs in a bonkers blockbuster trade proposal.
Embiid should be radioactive as far as trade value. Especially after his 2024-25 season ended in March due to knee surgery. He reportedly still hasn’t returned to basketball activities after almost five months, and who knows when or if he’ll play next season?
So why would the Spurs trade for Embiid? They wouldn’t—or at least, they shouldn’t.
The Spurs should reject any potential Joel Embiid trade
The potential Embiid trade would send Embiid to the Spurs in exchange for Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan, and 3 first-rounders. Yikes!
That would be a wild overpay for a player that no one in their right mind would dare trade for without concrete information about his health. That is a huge question mark, and even if he were reasonably healthy, the Spurs likely still would balk at that offer.
Embiid is obviously dominant when healthy. However, he maxes out at 60 games a season and has never made a deep playoff run due to his getting injured at the worst possible times.
Imagine the Spurs trading two starters and a Sixth Man, plus three firsts, for a player that probably would only be available every other game. It wouldn’t make sense. If, say, Giannis Antetokounmpo became available, then that package would make a lot more sense, but not for Embiid.
The Spurs should keep their powder dry for another big trade
The aforementioned Giannis trade option is still far and away the best option if San Antonio were to make a blockbuster deal. Trading one of Dylan Harper or Stephon Castle and three firsts would be a tough sell for most Spurs fans, but the results could well be worth it.
A Giannis and Wembanyama pick-and-pop partnership could be lethal on offense, while they’d be a defensive nightmare on the other end of the floor. That would make for a far better theoretical pairing than Wembanyama and Embiid, without the looming pplrisk of Embiid’s health.
Ultimately, the Spurs should steer clear of this proposed Embiid trade. Instead, they should keep their powder dry for another big trade or simply see if their talent-filled roster can make a big leap next season.