Joel Embiid has little trade value

Not that the Sixers are actively looking, but if they did want to try to trade potential-full, yet consistently-injured center Joel Embiid, they wouldn't find much of a market.

Embiid,21, is facing a second consecutive season on the sideline and an increasingly uncertain future, and despite his lofty draft position just a year ago, the Sixers would be hard-pressed to find anything close to equal value in a trade involving Embiid.



"Teams are skeptical," an Eastern Conference front office executive told me over the phone on Wednesday.

"There is the question of when, and even if he'll play, and if he does, how good will he be after the extended time off?"

All valid points. The front officer implied that the Sixers are basically stuck with Embiid, in the sense that, they won't be able to get much value for him until they prove he can play, and at that point, they might want to hold on to him anyway. A mid-to-late first round pick might be the absolute best return the Sixers would get for Embiid at this point in time. With an unknown return date, and a whole ship-load of questions surrounding his health, the lack of league-wide value for Embiid is not so surprising.

It is likely in the Sixers' best interest to hold on to Embiid for the time being anyway, as he is still extremely young, and if eventually healthy, he could still have a productive professional career. He is under team control at a reasonable price for the next few seasons, so the team can afford to wait out his status a little longer, rather than bailing on him for pennies on the dollar. Coming out of college he projected to be one of the league's premier post players and the Sixers are still hoping he can become that for them. Embiid will remain a Sixer for the foreseeable future barring an unexpected, extremely enticing offer, and as of now, those offers just aren't out there.