Joel Embiid Urges 76ers to Avoid Cost-Cutting Trades at Deadline
joel-embiid-urges-76ers-to-avoid-cost-cutting-trades
Star center Joel Embiid said Thursday he hopes the Philadelphia 76ers will resist trimming payroll at the upcoming trade deadline, even though the club sits roughly $7 million above the NBA’s luxury-tax line.
“We’ve been ducking the tax the last couple of years, so hopefully we keep the same team,” Embiid told reporters after practice, stressing that he believes the current roster “has a shot” to compete.
Recent History of Tax Moves
Philadelphia shed salary at each of the previous two deadlines, moving Danuel House and Jaden Springer in 2024 and later dealing Caleb Martin and KJ Martin in 2025 to finish those seasons as a non-taxpayer.
Potential Paths Below the Line
This season, the organization could slip under the tax by trading either Quentin Grimes ($8.74 million) or Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.38 million), both on expiring contracts. However, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst report the front office is not actively shopping either player in a straight salary dump.
The club is said to be open to moving reserve center Andre Drummond, whose $5 million expiring deal would not, by itself, reduce the tax bill enough. Offloading Drummond and another minimum-salary player would temporarily leave the roster with only 12 standard contracts, requiring new signings that would push the team back over the threshold.
Competitive Context
After injuries limited the roster to 24 wins last season, Philadelphia has already surpassed that mark, entering the deadline at 26-21 and holding the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. Healthier seasons from Embiid and Paul George, a breakout year from Tyrese Maxey, and immediate contributions from lottery pick VJ Edgecombe have fueled the turnaround.
While sliding under the tax would erase an estimated $7.5 million bill and make the organization eligible for an eight-figure distribution from the league’s tax pool, ownership already reset the repeater penalty by avoiding the tax the past two seasons, lessening the financial urgency.
With the deadline approaching, Embiid said he hopes the front office “thinks about improving” rather than trimming. “We’ve got a good group of guys in this locker room, and the vibes are great,” he added.
Source: Hoops Rumors
