Joel Embiid gives 76ers fans a reason to worry originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Joel Embiid suffered a common playoff treatment once again as injuries continue to dampen his otherwise notable postseason career. Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers were swept by the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA playoffs. This was Embiid’s sixth second-round defeat in nine NBA postseasons.
Questions were raised in the recent press conference about his future with the 76ers. Embiid provided a grim outlook, showing uncertainty about whether he’ll be in Philadelphia next season.
“VJ is going, I know, you know, I’m gonna talk to him, he’s gonna be better, and he was amazing for his first year. Tyrese is gonna be better, and he’s taking a step every single year. PG that we saw the last couple of weeks, you know, he still got it, and then everybody else. I don’t know who’s gonna be here. I don’t even know if I’m gonna be here, you know, whatever happens happens, but, you know, for me I’m excited about, you know, really getting back to myself.”
Joel Embiid says he doesn’t know if he’ll be back with the 76ers next season: “Whatever happens, happens.” đł
(via @nba) pic.twitter.com/jMARe3ZW0A
â TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 11, 2026
The 76ers have a lot of thinking to do this summer. With a lot of their money tied to Paul George and Joel Embiid’s contracts, they don’t have a lot of options to improve this summer. NBA executives are known to act tough when thrown into such circumstances where they feel trading their best man could solve a lot of their worries. In this case, Embiid can be that man, but it’s highly unlikely, though.
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Joel Embiid assures fansÂ
Joel Embiid will play his 13th season in the NBA this fall. That’s a lot for someone who is constantly asked to hustle the full length of the court for almost every possession in the game. No doubt there are concerns among fans about how healthy Embiid can remain at this stage of his career.
However, while talking to reporters, Embiid was sure the knee concerns were behind him and that he is looking forward to a good summer work.
“I hate losing, but I thought I was done,” Embiid said after the sweep in Game 4. “That’s the best way to put it. And then I found something and we found something as a group to figure out what we have to do to make sure I’m better positioned next year to play a lot of games.”
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