Embiid's left knee was not good at any point during the season. He had meniscus surgery in early 2024, then pushed to be back for last year's playoffs where his reduced mobility showed despite him putting up big numbers (33 points and 10.8 rebounds a game, but shooting just 44.4%). Then he played for USA Basketball, winning gold at the Paris Olympics. He was slowed from the start of training camp and played in just 19 games for the Sixers, seemingly suffering a setback every time he tried to ramp up. The 76ers shut him down for the season, and it was eventually announced that he would have another surgery on his knee.
Surgery is what Embiid wanted — he met with multiple doctors about it — but the team saw a different path at points and the sides clashed, Shams Charania of ESPN reported this week on First Take (hat tip Real GM).
"There was some tension there between Joel Embiid and that front office, from my understanding. The team believed he needed to play at some points of the season, that he needed to get his conditioning right through playing and getting better that way. He felt like he needed surgery. He ends up getting the surgery."
It's Embiid's body, he knows it better than anyone, and he should do what he feels is best for his career (and life after basketball). Getting his knee scoped was one of several options that doctors presented to Embiid and the 76ers, Charania said, including more "radical" options that would have had Embiid out all of next season. With arthroscopic surgery, Embiid should be back and ready to play at the start of next season.
Expectations are part of the game. There were reports out of Philadelphia that Embiid was looking for a surgery or fix that would allow him to return to not just his MVP season level, where he was dominant on the court for 30+ minutes a night, 65+ games a season, as he did then. That ship may have sailed. Even with this latest surgery, Embiid's left knee seems to be a chronic issue that will limit how much he can play during the regular season in the future (the goal will be making sure he is ready for the playoffs.
Despite a massively disappointing season that sees the Sixers with the fifth-worst record in the league, Philadelphia is expected to run it back next season. Part of that is financial reality: Embiid's three-year, $192.9 million contract extension doesn't even kick in until the 2026-27 season, Paul George has three years and $162 million on his contract after this season, and those two deals are borderline untradable because of the players' injury histories. Tyrese Maxey will also be back and remains the bridge to the post-Embiid future in Philly (whenever that might be).
It's going to be an interesting offseason in Philadelphia, but hopefully, we'll see more of Embiid on a basketball court next season.
