Sixers center Joel Embiid will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee next week, a team official tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The 76ers ruled out Embiid for the rest of the season on February 28 after he continued to be affected by ongoing left knee issues. He and the team have been consulting with medical specialists and weighing treatment options in the weeks since then and have decided to go the surgical route.
According to Charania (Twitter link), Embiid will be reevaluated six weeks after the procedure and is expected to make a full recovery. The knee in question is the same one the former MVP underwent surgery on in February 2024 after he sustained a lateral meniscus injury.
Embiid was able to return last April and played all six games of the Sixers’ first-round playoff series vs. New York in the spring before suiting up for Team USA at the Paris Olympics over the summer. However, he continued to deal with swelling in the knee in the fall, which delayed his season debut until November 12.
He never looked fully healthy after that, making just 19 appearances this season and averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 30.2 minutes per game. While those numbers would be impressive for most players, the scoring and rebounding rates were well below Embiid’s career averages, as were his 44.4% field goal percentage and 29.9% mark on three-pointers.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) reported in February that Embiid had met with more than 10 doctors over the course of the season in an attempt to figure out the best way to reduce – or, ideally, eliminate – the discomfort and swelling in that troublesome left knee.
Embiid told Lisa Salters of ABC/ESPN earlier in February that he may require offseason surgery, which reportedly took Sixers staffers by surprise, since the team had still been hoping at that point that non-surgical treatment and maintenance could help the big man regain his All-NBA form.
Getting Embiid fully healthy again is the Sixers’ number one priority, since the franchise has invested heavily in his long-term future. He is owed $179MM in guaranteed money over the next three seasons, with a $69MM player option for the 2028/29 season.
Philadelphia may need a medical exception. He may never be the player he was.
I’m honestly shocked. I was almost certain that he’d do this like a week before next season instead of trying to get something done this year and have a full off-season to recover.
Fair chance Arthroscopic surgery will do absolutely nothing. High chance, nothing more than a short term solution.
Oh, how exciting.
I know the future is extremely bleak for my Sixers.
Lonnie Walker will return as he has a team option but Grimes is a certainty to walk in FA and collect a bag good on him. I like Maxey and McCain, I also hold hope PG can just rest up and return back next season a little more healthier.
I’d hold Joel out for the start of the season and take the Kawhi Leonard approach, and hopefully have him ready to go in December and hitting his peak about now next year.
Going to really need to be smart in free agency additions, draft picks and trades.
Not holding out much hope but I think if everything does go our way in terms of health we could be a sneaky good side late next season.
Either that or it’s another year wasted, try trading off Joel and PG and rebuild here we come againnnn
The fact you wrote “Lonnie Walker will return” as a positive really shows what a trash pile Philly is.
Unfortunately that’s a very fair statement haha
Grimes will be a 6 er unless Brooklyn becomes totally enamored
There’s no “ bags” this year kiddo
The problem in Philly is not the players. Its the ownership and management of the team. Their philosophy was: Tank, Tank some more, then try and build a team around a loser mentality based on 2 flawed players Embiid and Ben Simmons. In short, while fans of Philly want to win, the Sixers organization has a losers mentality and rightly so.
Embiid is somewhat lazy and gets hurt often.
Simmons cannot shoot and refuses to actually learn.
Neither is the kind of player that wins championships.
Philly almost had it. IT Was right there. The team with Embiid, Jimmy Butler, and JJ Reddick was a solid team that could have won. They met Kawhi, nuff said. However, instead of running it back and tweaking that successful lineup, they employed the dumbest video game mentality on building a roster.
Add FA class after new FA class, year after year, never letting anyone try and work out their system and play and build a relationship on the floor. Every year, add new FAs to Embiid, rinse repeat.
Philly has had arguably 3 of the worst GMs in the past decade. Hinkie was such a joke and so unserious about his “theory” the NBA had to step in. Hinkie thought demoralizing the players, the organization and worst of all their loyal fanbase was worth a top NBA talent. He was horribly wrong and Philly has paid for that mistake for years. Trust the Process.
Coelangelo was incomptetent. Just remember that Coelangelo gave the Boston Celtics a draft pick for the right to draft Jason Tatum and Danny Ainge laughed all the way to the bank on that deal. Hell Tatum is at least a top 5 player and Philly and Los Angeles did not want him over Fultz and Ball.
Then Burnergate, a gm is caught talking trash about his team and organization…that one i felt bad for Philly Fan, not their fault. But what it did was make Philly a NOT SO PRIME place for FAs and it hurt the organization.
Morey is fools gold. He cannot build a winning team. Sorry, the guy is so overrated. What has he done. Sign Yabusele? That was easy since he played great during the Olympics and cap space was minimal. Trade for Grimes? Ok sure, one was solid. Sign Paul George? OMG no. Terrible move. but a definitely a Morey type of move. I think that Philly can find a much better GM if they really try. Nobody thought Brad Stevens would even want to be a GM.
Embiid is done. Trade him now. Perhaps he can find a team that will give you a couple 1sts for him…i am looking at you Miami. But he is done as a Sixer and I am sorry, but its the truth.
Maxey and McCain are your future. Learn from your opponents….
Tatum and Brown were developed by Boston. Boston waited and went all in on them. IT worked.
Unless you are the Los Angeles Laker and have Hollywood behind you or possibly NYC with the Knicks or Nets, you have to develop to win championships.
Philly is not Los Angeles.
Embiid is done. Time to bury the Process and start really trying to win.
The issue unfortunately for you and other Sixers fans is that everything going the team’s way is unlikely.
Simmons l Russ said:
> try trading off Joel and PG, and rebuild
No GM will touch them with 4 & 3 years left on their current contracts.
Yep. It’s a Catch-22; to get rid of them you would have to give up the assets you would want to rebuild with.
Well said Aristotle…like nobody has thought of that. You warriors fans….
The fact that this whole ordeal took Sixers staff by surprise is hilarious. For a player who has missed more than half his games, then seeing multiple specialists for a chronic knee issue, to possibly consider surgery…who would’ve thought.
Why the hell did they wait so long ?
Yeah, I don’t get it either. There were reports that he would get surgery in the off season weeks before they shut him down. Then they shut him down and wait multiple weeks to “consulting with medical specialists and weighing treatment options in the weeks since then”. Didn’t they consult with medical specialists before when they already told he would get surgery?
“According to Charania, Embiid will be reevaluated six weeks after the procedure and is expected to make a full recovery.”
I have zero doubt he will be 100% and will play in 70+ games next season…
(/s)
Does Charania ever sound like he’s not doing somebody a favor?
So he waits till now tor surgery. Retire him now. Medical retirement
He’s def picking up that option!
He’s brittle. He’ll milk this for 3 years, then he’ll want a max extension!
Trade him to blazers or pels.
Embiid was a warrior playing the playoffs last year after having meniscus surgery, but he came back too soon. He should NEVER have played in the Olympics. He likely needs a meniscus transplant now, and yeah, may never be the same. Unlike some fans, I don’t fault Embiid for the freak injuries during the playoffs. The man has played through orbital bone fractures and bell palsy. He has embodied the Philly Warrior mentality. I liked Morey’s draft selections, but going after over the hill prima donnas in free agency has been the worst thing for the franchise. I pray they get Ace Bailey in the draft and add youthful super talent to the front court.
Embiid is a B….next.