Joel Embiid Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Ujiri, Rajakovic, Raptors, Sixers’ Trio, Knicks Bigs

April 17th, 2025 at 10:03pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Raptors‘ front office, led by president Masai Ujiri, is determined to get the team back into championship contention, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. In his end-of-season news conference, Ujiri expressed that he wasn’t able to enjoy Toronto’s championship in 2019 as much as he would’ve liked and that all he thinks about is getting his team back to that spot.

“[Our goal] is getting better and adding more players and building this team and growing to be a championship team,” Ujiri said. “A championship is the end goal of all of this, and when that comes, we don’t know, but we have to identify those players and build with those kinds of players.”

The Raptors took a big swing by acquiring Brandon Ingram at the deadline and giving him a multiyear extension before he played a game for the team.

“At the end of the day, you have to acquire talent,” Ujiri said. “We have to do it in a unique way in the market that we’re in and we’ve got to jump on opportunities that come our way, sometimes after we really study them.”

Ujiri’s comments this week represented a departure from the ones he made a year ago, when he expressed a willingness to embark on a multiyear rebuild, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes. Toronto did maximize its draft talent this year, with rookies Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo, Jamal Shead and Jamison Battle all stepping up and playing big roles.

“I was really happy with the way these guys played and hopefully their development comes up more and more,” Ujiri said. “Yeah, we tried to attack the odds in the lottery and see what we can do. It’s a good draft. And honestly, wherever we fall, we feel very confident. Our guys have done a lot of work all year. We’re extremely excited.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The pressure to win has been relatively low in Toronto with the team acquiring and developing so many young players, Grange writes in another piece. But with the Raptors‘ focus shifting toward winning, head coach Darko Rajakovic is ready for the team’s next phase and has the full buy-in of his players. “He’s a really good coach. He cares about us. He really does,” RJ Barrett said. “He comes in and he challenges us every single day. And it’s nice when you know that you have somebody that cares about you — makes you want to play even harder for them. Darko’s a guy you can have conversations with about anything, and he’s very helpful. Always teaching, but he listens to us and our ideas. Yeah. So, like, that stuff is great.”
Sixers wing Paul George wants the team’s big three – himself, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid – to spend more time together this offseason, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “I think that’s very important,” George said. “We’ve already talked about seeing each other, where we’re going to be this summer. So we’ve already had those conversations about connecting once the season’s over. I think it’s very important. I don’t think it’s healthy to go two, three months before seeing each other, regardless of if we’re checking in over the phone. It’s just different seeing each other.“
The Knicks might turn to two-big lineups in the playoffs against the Pistons, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns only played 47 minutes together this season, but that two-man grouping outscored opponents by 9.2 points per 100 possessions. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said that despite the small sample size, he liked what he saw from that pairing.

Joel Embiid Undergoes Knee Surgery, Will Be Reevaluated In Six Weeks

April 11th, 2025 at 4:33pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, Sixers center Joel Embiid has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

According to a press release from the team, the procedure occurred on Wednesday and was performed by Dr. Jonathan L. Glashow at at NYU Langone Sports Medicine Center. Embiid will be reevaluated in approximately six weeks, per the Sixers.

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 spent several weeks consulting with medical specialists and weighing treatment options before deciding to go the surgical route.

The knee in question is the same one Embiid underwent surgery on in February 2024 after he sustained a lateral meniscus injury. The former MVP 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.

The Sixers had reportedly been hoping that Embiid’s knee would improve over the course of the season with more reps, but when he continued to experience soreness and swelling, he began to believe he needed another surgery. The disagreement over his treatment resulted in some tension between the franchise and its star center, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Philadelphia’s season will come to an end this Sunday, since the team has fallen well out of the playoff race, so we won’t see Embiid back in action until the fall at the earliest. However, his recovery process will be fascinating to monitor over the course of the offseason. As head coach Nick Nurse acknowledged this week, getting a healthy Embiid back next season will be crucial for the 76ers to have a chance to contend in the East.

The Sixers are invested heavily in Embiid for the next several years. He is owed $179MM in guaranteed money over the next three seasons, with a $69MM player option for 2028/29.

Sixers’ Nurse: Health Of Embiid, George Crucial For Next Season

April 8th, 2025 at 8:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers‘ nightmare season is about to end, but there are no guarantees that next season will be any better or that their stars will be any healthier. Before Monday’s game at Miami, which marked Philadelphia’s 12th straight loss and its 29th in 32 games, coach Nick Nurse talked about the prospects for 2025/26, acknowledging that everything centers around the availability of Joel Embiid and Paul George, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“There’s, obviously, a good number of them that need to get taken care of, get back to health, but obviously, Joel and Paul will be the big concerns,” Nurse said. “Can they get back and get ready to go? And I guess we won’t find that out for a little while, and then you start unpacking and then you get back to thinking there’s some really, really good players there and start piecing it together and then we get ready to build out the rest of the roster around them.”

Embiid dealt with left knee issues all season long and was limited to just 19 games. Swelling in the knee delayed his season debut until November 12, and he was in an out of the lineup after that. He was eventually shut down for good on February 28 and will undergo arthroscopic surgery later this week.

Embiid remains a force when he’s healthy, having averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 30.2 minutes per game, but the Sixers will need him on the court far more often to be competitive. The extension he signed last summer gives him $179MM in guaranteed money over the next three years, with a $69MM player option for 2028/29.

The Sixers viewed George as the missing piece to a title contender when they signed him to a four-year max deal in free agency. Various injuries limited him to 41 games before he was ruled out for the rest of the season on March 17 due to adductor and knee issues.

George averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in his first season with Philadelphia, but he never reached the All-Star level he displayed during his time with the Clippers. He’s owed $51.7MM next season, $54.1MM in 2026/27 and holds a $56.6MM player option for 2027/28.

As Pompey notes, the Sixers’ injury woes didn’t end with their two veteran stars. Tyrese Maxey appeared in just 52 games and hasn’t played since March 3 due to an injured finger tendon. Rookie guard Jared McCain quickly found his way into the rotation, but was lost for the season after 23 games with a torn meniscus. Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry and several others have also missed significant time due to injuries.

The results have been ugly, as the Sixers have struggled to field a competitive team since the All-Star break. Nurse used his 53rd different starting lineup of the season on Monday, Pompey notes in a separate story, consisting of Lonnie Walker, Quentin Grimes, Adem Bona, Marcus Bagley and Jared Butler. Pompey points out that Bona was the only member of that group who was on the roster before February.

Joel Embiid, Sixers’ Front Office Clashed Over Knee Issues

April 4th, 2025 at 10:15am CST by Arthur Hill

There was some “tension” between Joel Embiid and the Sixers‘ front office before he made the decision to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his injured left knee, ESPN’s Shams Charania said Thursday in an appearance on First Take (Twitter video link; hat tip to RealGM).

Embiid has experienced repeated knee issues since suffering a lateral meniscus injury last winter. He underwent a procedure on the knee and was able to return for the playoffs, although his mobility was limited. After playing in the Summer Olympics, Embiid continued to be bothered by swelling in the knee and was only able to suit up for 19 games this season.

“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,” Charania said. “He felt like he needed surgery. He ends up getting the surgery.”

Embiid and the Sixers have been consulting with medical specialists to determine the best treatment, and Charania states that some of the “radical” options would have resulted in Embiid missing all of next season. By choosing arthroscopic surgery, he’s projected to be reevaluated in six weeks and to eventually make a full recovery that will enable him to play in 2025/26.

Embiid’s knee issues are among a flood of injuries that destroyed the season in Philadelphia. The Sixers entered training camp hoping to contend for a title, but instead they’re 23-54 with a 10-game losing streak and are trying to hold onto their top-six protected first-round pick in this year’s draft.

Before the Bucks and Sixers met Thursday night, Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers informed reporters that Embiid told him during a February 9 game that he was probably headed for surgery again, relays Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Rivers, who coached Embiid for three seasons in Philadelphia, expressed sympathy for his former player.

“I mean, it’s tough,” Rivers said. “The guy is as talented as anyone I ever coached. And it’s just too bad for him.”

Joel Embiid To Undergo Arthroscopic Surgery On Knee

April 2nd, 2025 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Nick Nurse Reflects On Difficult Season After Sixers Officially Eliminated

March 29th, 2025 at 11:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Head coach Nick Nurse discussed the frustrations of a lost year after the Sixers were officially eliminated from postseason contention with Saturday’s loss to Miami (Twitter video link from PHLY Sixers).

“Obviously it’s not anywhere near where we had hoped it would be when we set out this summer and this fall, that’s for sure” Nurse said. “That’s the only thing you can say, it was a super struggle. You know, most of the way I think there was only a couple times of some momentum. Right? December, and there was another I think four- or five-game winning streak in there, too, where you were always holding out hope that the team was playing better and getting some wins and hopefully get some players back.”

That turnaround never came, as the Sixers were plagued by injuries to stars and role players throughout the season. Franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid was limited to 19 games before being declared out for the season in late February. Top free agent addition Paul George appeared in 41 games before he was ruled out for the season in mid-March. Tyrese Maxey was active for 52 games, but he hasn’t played since March 3 due to a sprained finger and probably won’t return this season.

Injury issues affected virtually the entire roster, as Philadelphia got just 40 games out of Andre Drummond, 39 from Eric Gordon and 33 from Kyle Lowry. Rookie guard Jared McCain was lost after 23 games due to a meniscus tear following a promising start.

Tonight marked the Sixers’ 50th different starting lineup in 74 games, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), with Justin Edwards, Guerschon Yabusele, Adem Bona, Quentin Grimes and Jared Butler opening the game.

“It just didn’t seem like the injury bug would ever leave us,” Nurse said. “It just seemed like every time we’d have a good game it would cost us a player or two for the next one. We never could build any momentum.”

The good news for the Sixers is that tonight’s defeat, combined with Brooklyn’s win, drops them a half-game behind the Nets and gives them the fifth-worst record in the league. Philadelphia’s first-round pick in this year’s draft is top-six protected and will convey to Oklahoma City if it falls outside that range.

The 23-51 Sixers have now dropped seven straight and 24 of their last 28. Five of their final eight games are against teams under .500, starting with Sunday’s home contest against Toronto.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Embiid, Dowtin, Chisholm

March 26th, 2025 at 9:10pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After facing a lot of high-level competition and working through a tough schedule early into the 2024/25 season, the Raptors have seen their slate during the year’s home stretch get significantly easier — just as they’ve been looking to stack up losses.

Toronto is hoping to cement its bid for the best possible lottery odds in this summer’s draft, but playing fellow rebuilding squads could complicate that plan, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

To wit, Grange notes that the Raptors are still scheduled to play Charlotte and Brooklyn twice each, and have one more game against seemingly lottery-bound clubs in Philadelphia, San Antonio, Portland, Chicago and Dallas as the season winds down.

As of this writing, the 25-47 Raptors have the seventh-worst record in the league. They could conceivably overtake the 23-49 Nets and Sixers – and maybe even the 20-53 Pelicans – in the lottery order if they play their cards “right.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Sixers coach Nick Nurse said today that injured former MVP center Joel Embiid has finished consulting various specialists about his lingering knee inflammation, and Philadelphia intends to make a decision on next steps “soon-ish,” per Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).
Sixers guard Jeff Dowtin is rapidly approaching the 50-contest active game limit for two-way players. According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscriber link), the Rhode Island alum has just two games left before Philadelphia faces a decision on his fate. If the Sixers want to give the 27-year-old any more run in 2024/25 beyond those two games, the front office will need to promote Dowtin to its standard roster. Through 38 games this year (he has been a DNP-CD in 10), the 6’3″ guard boasts averages of 6.4 PPG, 1.8 APG, 1.6 RPG and 0.5 SPG in 14.1 minutes per night.
Incoming Celtics owner Bill Chisholm spoke with All-Star forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and team president Brad Stevens ahead of the club’s recent tilt in Sacramento, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (subscriber link). “It’s the most incredible feeling to think that maybe I can just play a tiny little part in the future,” Chisholm said, “and now I’ll just let these guys do what they’re doing, let Brad do his thing. If I can help in any way, that’s amazing to think about.”
Stevens himself spoke about the Celtics‘ impending new ownership situation too, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. “My only thing is just asking to be kept in the loop on everything I need to know from the standpoint of making decisions here and now and moving forward,” Stevens said. “As we get to spend more time with Bill, with [current team governor Wyc Grousbeck] and Bill, then we’ll have more clarity on how we are going to do things.

Sixers Notes: Hood-Schifino, Reed, Bona, George, Embiid

March 17th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Considering their lottery situation, the Sixers really didn’t need a win Sunday afternoon in Dallas, but that didn’t matter to Jalen Hood-Schifino or the other players trying to prove themselves at the NBA level, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Hood-Schifino, who signed a two-way contract on March 1, came off the bench to sink five three-pointers and score 19 points in 23 minutes. He also hit a pair of foul shots with four seconds left that put the game out of reach.

“For me, just focusing on my breath and saying calm, and knowing if I get those two free throws, the game is over,” Hood-Schifino said. “So for me, it was about relaxing and knocking those shots down.”

Pompey notes that while the Sixers snapped a three-game losing streak and won for just the fourth time in 21 games, it wasn’t the best outcome for a team that will surrender its first-round pick to Oklahoma City if it falls outside the top six. Brooklyn also won on Sunday while Toronto lost, leaving Philadelphia with the sixth-worst record in the league, a half-game behind the Nets in the lottery standings and a half-game ahead of the Raptors.

“Listen, we are going to prepare this group to go out there and have some success,” coach Nick Nurse said. “Again, they played very well tonight. … Again, we just want to prepare them well and give them a chance to show what they can do and have some success.”

There’s more on the Sixers:

Pistons center Paul Reed, who was waived by Philadelphia in July, took a shot at his former team on social media Saturday night, posting, “They thought I was the problem,” Pompey adds. Asked to comment on Sunday, Nurse replied, “I don’t have a response. We certainly didn’t think Paul Reed was a problem.”
The Sixers’ list of inactive players for Sunday grew to 10 when center Adem Bona was declared out due to a sprained left ankle, Pompey tweets. There’s no word on how much time Bona is expected to miss.
The Sixers were counting on Paul George to lift them into title contention when he signed as a free agent last summer, but their best move might be to try to unload his hefty contract during the offseason, Pompey states in a separate story. The nine-time All-Star has been limited to 41 games this season and hasn’t played since March 4 because of groin and knee injuries. He’ll turn 35 in May and still has three years and $162.3MM left on his contract.
The Sixers won’t be able to make real progress until they move on from Joel Embiid, Pompey argues in another piece. He notes that Philadelphia’s front office keeps making personnel moves to build around Embiid, but the star center’s constant injuries prevent them from being effective. Pompey adds that with Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey using up virtually all the team’s cap space over the next several seasons, there’s little room to improve if they all remain on the roster.

Bontemps/Windhorst’s Latest: Nets, Sixers, Zion, Wizards, Raptors

March 14th, 2025 at 11:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets project to have significantly more cap room than any other NBA team this offseason — they’re in position to open up more than $60MM in space. However, they’re unlikely to take the same approach as last year’s top cap-room team, Philadelphia, which spent big on win-now free agents.

As Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes in an Insider-only article, the Nets signaled when they reacquired control of both their 2025 and 2026 first-round picks that they might require at least a two-year rebuild. Some rival teams believe Brooklyn will end up rolling much of its 2025 cap room over to the 2026 offseason, according to Windhorst.

“They’re going to use it in trade because they’re not going to have anyone to pay in this free agent market,” one executive said of the Nets’ cap space. “They could end up right back in this spot next year.”

Here are a few more items of interest from Windhorst and his ESPN colleague Tim Bontemps:

While the hope in Philadelphia is that better health luck next season will result in a bounce-back year for the Sixers, there’s still no update on what the treatment plan for Joel Embiid is and no assurances that he’ll be back to 100% in 2025/26, as Windhorst and Bontemps note. “Until they know what is happening with Embiid, there is no way to project what they will be next year,” a league executive told ESPN. “They will have a hard time changing that roster.”
The Pelicans are just 9-19 in games that Zion Williamson has played this season and project to have an expensive roster next season, so even though Williamson has been healthy and performed well as of late, rivals continue to wonder if he’ll end up on the trade block, Windhorst writes. “The question about the Pelicans is whether they would consider trading Zion,” a rival general manager told ESPN. “It hasn’t really been an option over the last couple of years because he’s been injured, and his value hasn’t been high enough. Even now, I don’t think they could get great value. So they will probably see if he can carry this play over into next year.”
Multiple executives who spoke to Bontemps lauded the Wizards for their work at the trade deadline, including bringing in veterans like Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart while taking a flier on 2024 first-rounder AJ Johnson. “I like what they are doing,” an executive said. “They’re doing things the right way.” Conversely, there’s some skepticism around the league about the way in which the Raptors – who traded a first-round pick as part of a package for Brandon Ingram – are attempting to accelerate their rebuild, says Bontemps. “I don’t like what Toronto is doing,” one exec told ESPN. “Trying to flip it quick is dangerous.”

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Sixers, Horford, Raptors

March 9th, 2025 at 3:07pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse believes the team is on the cusp of figuring out its new treatment plan for star center Joel Embiid, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelpahi Inquirer. At the end of February, Embiid was shut down for the rest of the season with left knee swelling.

“…I think they are getting closer to that,” Nurse said on Saturday. “I think there’s another [evaluation] at some point today, as well. I know they met a lot and talked a lot and [saw] a lot of people… So we are working at it, but we just don’t have a definitive answer quite yet.”

Pompey notes that Philadelphia and Embiid have pondered the possibility of a follow-up surgery on the knee. He last went under the knife in February 2024 for a left meniscus surgery, but the former MVP is still dealing with pain and swelling in that knee.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers made a flurry of big signings during the 2024 offseason in anticipation of a deep playoff run. Forward Paul George agreed to a four-season, $211.6MM deal to join Philadelphia in free agency, while Embiid was inked to a three-year, $192.9MM contract extension, which won’t begin until 2026/27. Instead of being an MVP contender this year, however, the team has seen Embiid limited to 19 games, while many of its new additions have regressed mightily from their 2023/24 runs. In a column for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Pompey details how Philadelphia’s summer splurge could adversely impact its roster-building in the years to come.
Celtics center Al Horford, one of the league’s oldest active players at age 38, received major praise from his colleagues following a 111-101 victory over the Lakers on Saturday, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Playing 37 minutes with Kristaps Porzingis unavailable, Horford scored 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out four dimes. “Al is one of a kind,” All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum said. “…I’m the biggest Al Horford fan there is. I love that guy.” Head coach Joe Mazzulla, meanwhile, called the 6’9″ vet “a future Hall of Famer.” With his longevity, scoring output, team success (he’s won one NBA championship and two NCAA titles), and five All-Star appearances, Horford does have a case. “Al is just old reliable,” All-Star Celtics wing Jaylen Brown said. “He’s just the ultimate connector for us on both ends.” Across 50 games in his 18th pro season, Horford is averaging 8.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.6 steals per night, with a .418/.358/.893 shooting line.
With the postseason likely out of reach for this year’s Raptors, the team is prioritizing player development, notes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. To wit, Toronto is getting encouraging minutes from rookies Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo, and Jamison Battle, plus solid performances from two-way players Jared Rhoden and A.J. Lawson. The club believes intense pregame workout sessions among its younger players have played a part in their growth. “We push ourselves in those workouts and we get out there in games and try to replicate that,” Shead said.