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Projected NBA Taxpayers For 2024/25

February 14th, 2025 at 4:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Ten NBA teams are still operating in luxury tax territory in the wake of last Thursday’s trade deadline, but this season’s total projected luxury tax payments – and the clubs projected to be taxpayers – have declined significantly in recent weeks.

As of January 23, a total of 14 teams projected to be taxpayers, Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter links) observes, with the 16 non-taxpayers on track to receive about $17.8MM apiece, which would have been the largest payout in NBA history.

But the Cavaliers, Pelicans, Clippers, and Sixers all ducked the tax line with their pre-deadline moves, while a few other teams remained in the tax but took steps to significantly reduce their end-of-season bills. Milwaukee, for instance, had been projected to pay about $74.8MM in tax penalties, but has since reduced that figure by more than half, according to Eric Pincus of Sports Business Classroom.

Here are the current projected tax penalties, per Pincus’ data:

Phoenix Suns: $152.26MM
Minnesota Timberwolves: $84.85MM
Boston Celtics: $53.45MM
Los Angeles Lakers: $52.53MM
New York Knicks: $36.45MM
Milwaukee Bucks: $32.66MM
Denver Nuggets: $20.36MM
Golden State Warriors: $12.36MM
Dallas Mavericks: $6.39MM
Miami Heat: $4.18MM
Total: $455.49MM

These numbers will fluctuate a little before the end of the season. For instance, the Lakers recently increased their projected bill when they signed Alex Len to a rest-of-season contract, and the Warriors will need to make multiple roster additions in the near future, which will cause their bill to rise. Various contract incentives that go earned or unearned could also impact the end-of-season tax figures.

Based on the current figures from Pincus, each non-taxpayer is projected to receive a payout of about $11.4MM. That figure is determined by cutting the total league-wide tax penalties in half, then dividing them evenly among the non-taxpaying teams (in this case, 20 clubs).

As significant as the Suns’ tax penalty projects to be, especially for a team currently flirting with .500, it won’t be a single-season record — Golden State has actually exceeded $152.26MM in tax payments in each of the past three years (2022-24).

Assuming these are the 10 teams that finish the season in tax territory, the Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Bucks, and Suns would all be subject to repeater penalties in 2025/26 if they’re taxpayers again next season.

Sixers Promote Jared Butler To Standard Roster

February 13th, 2025 at 7:54pm CST by Luke Adams

7:54 pm: The Sixers have officially signed Butler to a standard contract, the team announced in a press release.

To make room on the roster, Okeke has been released early from his 10-day contract. He’ll become a free agent immediately, without passing through waivers.

5:16 pm: The Sixers are converting Jared Butler‘s two-way contract to a standard deal and will promote him to their 15-man roster, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Charania, Butler is receiving a two-year contract. It will be worth the minimum, since that’s all Philadelphia can offer at this point.

Butler, a 6’3″ guard in his fourth NBA season, was traded from the Wizards by the Sixers, along with four second-round picks, at last week’s deadline in a deal that sent Reggie Jackson and a first-rounder to Washington. This will be the first instance in league history of a team trading for a player on a two-way deal and then promoting him to a standard contract.

A former Baylor standout, Butler averaged 6.9 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game across 32 outings off the bench with the Wizards, posting a shooting line of .483/.366/.778.

The 24-year-old has been part of the rotation in his first three games as a Sixer, earning a start on Wednesday in Brooklyn. He has averaged 10.0 PPG, 4.7 APG, and 2.7 RPG in 17.1 MPG so far for his new team.

The 76ers currently have a full 15-man roster, but two of those 15 players are on 10-day contracts. Chuma Okeke‘s deal runs through Sunday, while David Roddy‘s runs through next Thursday. Since Okeke’s contract will expire before the club’s next game, it seems likely Butler will be taking his spot on the roster.

Another Sixers two-way player, Justin Edwards, was promoted to the standard roster last week on a two-year, minimum-salary contract of his own — that deal included a second-year team option, which the club could decline this summer in order to re-sign Edwards to a longer-term contract as a restricted free agent.

It’s possible Butler’s new deal will also include a team option for 2025/26, though that’s just my speculation, since we don’t know the full details yet.

Injury Notes: George, Hayes, Lewis, Capela, Brogdon

February 13th, 2025 at 4:05pm CST by Rory Maher

Paul George‘s first season in Philadelphia certainly has not gone the way either party envisioned when the nine-time All-Star signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract with the Sixers last summer.

The 34-year-old forward has missed 19 of the team’s 54 games to this point due to knee, groin, ankle and finger injuries, and he hasn’t been effective lately when active, recording just two points on 1-of-7 shooting in 37 minutes during Wednesday’s loss to Brooklyn. After dropping five straight, the 76ers are now tied with the Nets for the sixth-worst record in the NBA.

Appearing on NBA Today on Thursday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that George, who has been playing through tendon damage in his left pinky finger, has been receiving injections just to suit up over the past week.

“He’s been doing what he can to be on the court and to try to be available,” Charania said. “I’m told that it’s to the point where he gotten injections to play and compete over the last four or five games. That’s something that players do come playoff time, not necessarily in the regular season.

“ … We can tell that he’s not 100 percent. … Clearly, there’s something that’s been amiss with him, with his body, and we’re seeing that play out. The Sixers, there’s going to be a point in time here where … they’re going to have to have some hard conversations about availability and potentially maybe even shutting a guy or two down in the second half of the season.”

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

Already thin on frontcourt depth, the Lakers lost starting center Jaxson Hayes to a facial contusion in Wednesday’s loss to Utah, as Jovan Buha of The Athletic relays (via Twitter). It’s unclear whether he’ll have to miss time as a result of the injury or if he’ll be able to recover during the All-Star break.
Six weeks after fracturing his left tibia in his Nets debut, second-year wing Maxwell Lewis was able to return to action on Wednesday vs. Philadelphia, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The 2023 second-round pick only played 27 seconds to wrap up the victory, but he was grateful to be back on an NBA court so soon after a scary-looking injury. “I’m just blessed and glad it’s over,” Lewis said. “Now, I get to at least start what I was starting when it first happened on Jan. 1, just getting back to playing and my routine. It’s great. I’m blessed to be back.”
The Hawks lost a couple of rotation players to multi-week injuries on Wednesday, but they’re expected to have Clint Capela back after the All-Star break, according to Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks (Twitter link). The veteran center has missed Atlanta’s last nine games due to a back injury.
Wizards guard Malcolm Brogdon had to be helped off the court in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s overtime loss to Indiana due to a left leg injury, per ESPN.com. The former Sixth Man of the Year winner was unable to put weight on his injured leg, which is never a great sign.

Eastern Notes: Embiid, George, Nurkic, Sims

February 12th, 2025 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on reporting over the weekend that suggested Joel Embiid might require another surgery to address a nagging left knee injury, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during a TV appearance on Get Up (YouTube link) that there’s not necessarily a consensus among the experts the Sixers center has consulted about the best way to put that knee issue behind him.

“I know that people would like this to be a cut-and-dry issue — you either need knee surgery or you don’t,” Windhorst said. “That’s not necessarily clear here. He has seen a number of specialists. There isn’t a clear path on how to resolve this issue.

“He’s still playing, obviously. They’ve got him playing. If they thought he needed knee surgery, trust me, the Sixers would have dealt with it. He’s playing right now, and he signed this $193MM contract extension. He’s under contract now for five years for $300MM. They have to get this right. And right now, they have no option. They have to figure this out.”

As Windhorst notes, Embiid is now locked up through at least the 2027/28 season, with a player option for ’28/29 worth a projected $69MM. Given that huge financial commitment the Sixers made to the former MVP, they have to do all they can to get him back to full health, since it makes little sense to try to trade him while value is at a low.

“He’s not tradable right now. That contract makes his value… it’s not realistic,” Windhorst said. “And just on Friday, Daryl Morey, their team president, coming out of the trade deadline still reaffirms, ‘We think he’s a top-five player. We don’t regret signing Paul George.’

“The future going forward is around Joel Embiid, so he’s doubled, tripled, quadrupled down on it, and he really has to because that contract makes it impossible. They have to figure out a way to get him right. Trust me, they’re trying. They are seeking all kinds of alternatives trying to make it happen.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Speaking of George, the Sixers forward admitted after Tuesday’s loss to Toronto that adjusting to playing alongside Embiid this season has “definitely been challenging,” per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “But I’m here to learn and figure it out,” George said. “He’s an unbelievable talent. He makes the game easy with just his presence, his attention that he draws. But it’s been a challenge.” Sixers lineups that feature both George and Embiid have a -4.2 net rating so far this season.
Jusuf Nurkic will be available on Wednesday to make his Hornets debut vs. Orlando, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes, who reports (via Twitter) that the veteran center will be on a minutes restriction. Nurkic, traded from Phoenix to Charlotte last week, hasn’t played since January 7. With Mark Williams back on the roster following the voided trade with the Lakers, Nurkic likely won’t have as significant a role, but Williams won’t be active on Wednesday, having been listed on the injury report as “not with team.”
Speaking about the trade-deadline addition of Jericho Sims, Bucks general manager Jon Horst referred to the center as a “fourth big,” but expressed enthusiasm about Sims’ athleticism, offensive rebounding, and ability to make an impact in transition, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “It may or may not be an every night role, but it’s kind of based on matchups, it’s based on need,” Horst said of Sims’ role. “If guys get injured or guys are out, he’s a guy that can step in, and you feel confident with him playing.”

Morey: Sixers ‘Feel Very Good’ About Re-Signing Yabusele

February 11th, 2025 at 3:24pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Sixers signed Guerschon Yabusele during the 2024 offseason, they gave him a one-year, minimum-salary contract. That deal has been a bargain, with the big man emerging as a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season in Philadelphia.

Yabusele has averaged 11.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 26.8 minutes per game across 49 outings (26 starts), posting impressive shooting percentages of 52.4% from the floor and 40.4% on three-pointers.

Given the team’s limited ability to give him a raise as a free agent this offseason, however, there was some speculation leading up to the trade deadline that Yabusele, who reportedly drew plenty of interest on the trade market, would be on the move. But Philadelphia hung onto him and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said the club feels good about a future with the Frenchman beyond this season, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“I don’t think you can ever be confident in an unrestricted free agent, but we feel very good,” Morey said. “We love him. We just freed up more with (Caleb Martin‘s) contract going out; we freed up more room for the future. So we feel very good about retaining Yabu.”

As Morey notes, trading Martin, who had a guaranteed $8.6MM salary for next season, creates some additional cap flexibility going forward for the Sixers.

While it doesn’t affect what the club can offer Yabusele using his Non-Bird rights (up to 120% of his minimum), moving Martin off the books will generate some extra breathing room below the projected first tax apron in 2025/26 to potentially free up the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will be worth up to $14.1MM, rather than the taxpayer MLE, which will be worth up to $5.7MM. Philadelphia could use that MLE to offer Yabusele a new contract.

As Pompey relays, Yabusele admitted that his contract situation is “definitely” on his mind. He’s hopeful he’ll be able to work something out with the team that gave him a second chance in the NBA after his initial stint (from 2017-19 with Boston) didn’t pan out.

“I really love this city,” Yabusele said. “I really love the fans. I really love the atmosphere and everything we got going on even though the season was up and down. And I really do think we got something going on in the team. We can definitely figure it out.

“… As far as right now, I’m going to try to play my best and definitely try to get the result. And as far as the summer, you know, I feel like I just have to sit down and see the [free agency] options. But knowing that Philly is here [as an option] is definitely something that I’m happy and proud [about].”

David Roddy Signs 10-Day Deal With Sixers

February 11th, 2025 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

February 11: Roddy has officially signed his 10-day contract with the Sixers, the team announced today in a press release.

The deal will run through Feb. 20, covering Philadelphia’s last two games before the All-Star break and its first game after the break. Roddy will earn $119,972 over the course of those 10 days.

The 76ers now have a full 15-man standard roster, though two of those 15 players are on 10-day contracts and the club still has a two-way slot open.

February 9: The Sixers will sign David Roddy to a 10-day contract once he clears waivers, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).

The Hawks released the 23-year-old power forward on Friday to create a roster opening so they could complete a two-for-one deal with the Clippers. Atlanta sent Bogdan Bogdanovic to L.A. in exchange for Terance Mann and Bones Hyland.

Roddy appeared in 27 games with the Hawks this season, making three starts and averaging 4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per night.

Philadelphia will be Roddy’s fourth team in three seasons once the deal is finalized. He spent a year and a half with Memphis before being traded to Phoenix at last year’s deadline. He was dealt again in July as the Suns shipped him to Atlanta.

The Sixers originally selected Roddy with the 23rd pick in 2022 before trading him to the Grizzlies on draft night.

Philadelphia created multiple roster openings with its deadline deals, so another move won’t be necessary to add Roddy. He joins Chuma Okeke, who signed a 10-day deal with the Sixers on Friday, and both players will be eligible for a second 10-day contract when their current ones expire.

And-Ones: Trade Disputes, S. Johnson, Two-Ways, More

February 11th, 2025 at 9:14am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of the Lakers‘ decision to recind their Mark Williams trade with the Hornets, teams around the NBA are discussing whether the league should introduce new measures designed to reduce the likelihood of similar situations in the future, says ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

According to Marks, those clubs are wondering whether it should be solely at the discretion of a team and its medical staff to decide what constitutes a failed physical and whether a third-party mediator might be necessary to resolve disputes.

Those clubs have also asked whether there should be a window for teams to explore amending the terms of a deal after the trade deadline has passed if there are a concerns about a player’s physical. In that hypothetical situation, Marks notes, the amended terms would have to involve only draft compensation, not new players.

The Hornets have reportedly been in touch with the NBA to discuss whether they have an avenue to dispute the Lakers’ decision to void the Williams trade between the two teams.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Former NBA lottery pick Stanley Johnson has parted ways with Anadolu Efes for family reasons, the Turkish club announced (via Twitter). Johnson, a 6’6″ forward who appeared in 449 regular season NBA games from 2015-23 after being drafted eighth overall in 2015, is joining the South Bay Lakers. The Lakers‘ G League affiliate confirmed in a press release that it has acquired Johnson’s returning rights in a trade with the Rip City Remix.
Five players, including Warriors big man Quinten Post and Sixers forward Justin Edwards, have been converted from two-way contracts to standard deals in the days since the trade deadline. There are several more two-way players around the league who could follow suit, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who identifies seven more candidates for promotions, including Wizards forward Justin Champagnie, Sixers guard Jared Butler, Timberwolves guard Jaylen Clark, and Pelicans wing Brandon Boston.
Although the NBA pays a team a fee when it loses a home game in order to play overseas, that payment typically doesn’t cover the full cost of the lost revenue, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. So what’s in it for teams who choose to take part in those international games? Vorkunov explores that subject, detailing the brand-building calculus at play for those clubs.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Harris, Playoffs, Edwards, George

February 10th, 2025 at 1:32pm CST by Rory Maher

ABC/ESPN’s Lisa Salters reported on Sunday that Sixers center Joel Embiid said he would likely require another surgery and an extended recovery period to deal with his troublesome left knee, which has been bothering him for more than a year.

A team source tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that Embiid and the 76ers have consulted with a half-dozen knee specialists about the injury. The same source tells Pompey that Embiid does not currently require surgery and he’s able to play as long as he can manage the pain and swelling.

When asked about his knee after the game, Embiid didn’t outright say that he would eventually need surgery, but he certainly didn’t dispute the report’s veracity.

“I think everybody knows I want to play and I’m trying to do my best,” Embiid said. “At some point, if that keeps being inconsistent as it’s been, you’ve got to try something. … I’m extremely confident and fully confident. I just haven’t had enough time.”

As Pompey notes, Embiid rushed back from meniscus surgery last season to help Philadelphia make a playoff push. He then had a truncated offseason in which helped Team USA win a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, though he wore a brace the entire tournament and wasn’t moving as well as he has in the past.

“No one knew it was going to be like this,” Embiid said. “After the surgery, I didn’t have enough time. I came back for the playoffs. And then after the Olympics, then right back to the regular season.

“So I think at some point, I probably just need to just, especially when the summer comes around, we are going to get those few months and just recover for me. As I say, I don’t know what it is. But if that keeps being the same pattern, obviously you’ve got to try something else.”

For now, Embiid says he’s just taking things one day at a time while dealing with the knee issue, according to Pompey. The 30-year-old big man has only appeared in 16 of Philadelphia’s 52 games this season.

Here’s more on the Sixers:

Sixers owner Josh Harris is optimistic the team will make a playoff run in 2024/25 despite a disastrous start to the season, as Pompey relays. “Listen, we got Joel [healthy],” Harris said Sunday. “When Joel, Tyrese [Maxey], and Paul [George] are all on the court, we are a great team. So we got to keep everyone healthy. In particular, Joel is a warrior. I know he’s fighting through some stuff, and I’m really optimistic that we are going to make a playoff run now.” Harris made the comments after the trade deadline and before Sunday’s loss to Milwaukee, which dropped Philadelphia to 20-32 on the season, one-and-a-half games behind Chicago for the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers are now 7-5 when Embiid, Maxey and George are all active.
Rookie wing Justin Edwards, a Philadelphia native and former top high school recruit, went undrafted last June out of Kentucky before signing a two-way deal with the Sixers. The 21-year-old has been one of the bright spots amid a disappointing season and recently had his contract converted to a standard deal. He said he was unfazed by the promotion, per Pompey. “I just show that I belong here, honestly,” Edwards said. “Like nothing really changed. You know, it was just my work ethic and the way I approach the game. So it’s really about it, honestly.”
The Sixers have been inconsistent all season for a variety of reasons, including injuries. That’s particularly true of free agent addition George, who dealing with a left pinky injury and has struggled in games he’s played thus far with Embiid, Pompey writes in another story for The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I feel like we haven’t found the synergy slash energy with that group,” head coach Nick Nurse said regarding George playing alongside Embiid and Maxey. “Yet when it’s just him and Tyrese, there is more of a pop. That’s just on us needing some time. But it’s also just on our guys being in the right mindset. It’s going to be different. I don’t think you can let your energy drop. I think that’s what we struggled with.”

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

February 10th, 2025 at 7:37am CST by Luke Adams

A number of free agent signings have been finalized in the days since last Thursday’s trade deadline, but there are still many teams around the NBA with one or more open spots on their respective rosters.

For clubs with just a single standard or two-way opening, there’s not necessarily any urgency to fill those spots, especially ahead of the All-Star break. But the clock is ticking for teams who have two or more openings on their standard rosters to make a move, since clubs are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time.

With the help of our roster count tracker, here’s where things stand for all 30 teams around the NBA as of Monday morning. As a reminder, teams are typically permitted to carry up to 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

(Note: Teams marked with an asterisk have a player on a 10-day contract.)

Teams with multiple open roster spots

Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
Philadelphia 76ers *
Sacramento Kings *

The Cavaliers dipped to 13 players on standard contracts as a result of Thursday’s De’Andre Hunter trade, so their situation is fairly straightforward — they’ll have to re-add a 14th man by February 20.

The Warriors‘ four-for-one Jimmy Butler trade dropped them to just 11 players. They quickly got back to 12 by promoting Quinten Post from his two-way contract to a standard roster spot and now have three openings on their standard roster, along with one open two-way slot.

Golden State doesn’t have to fill all those openings, but the team does have to get back to at least 14 players on standard contracts by Feb. 20. Assuming Post got a prorated rookie minimum salary on his new deal, the Warriors – by my count – have $1,372,306 in breathing room below their first-apron hard cap.

If the Warriors were to sign a pair of veterans to rest-of-season minimum deals on Feb. 20, they would each count for $635,853 against the cap, leaving the team with $100,600 in breathing room below the hard cap. It’s possible Golden State will go that route. It’s also possible the club will sign a couple players to 10-day contracts, then go another 14 days in March with just 12 players under contract in order to create a bit of extra wiggle room below that hard cap. That would allow the Warriors to sign a 15th man a little earlier in the second half.

The Sixers briefly dropped to 12 players on standard contracts at the trade deadline, but they’re back to 14 now, having promoted Justin Edwards to a standard contract and given Chuma Okeke a 10-day deal. They’re expected to sign David Roddy to a 10-day contract too, which will give them a full standard roster.

For now then, no roster moves are necessary in Philadelphia, but the team does have a two-way slot open and could drop back to 13 players on standard deals after Okeke’s and Roddy’s 10-day contracts expire, which would necessitate a least one addition within 14 days.

The Kings are currently carrying 12 players on full-season standard contracts, with Daishen Nix on a 10-day deal. They’ll have to get back to 14 players by Feb. 20.

Teams with one open roster spot

Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets *
Dallas Mavericks
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
New York Knicks
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz

The Hawks, Celtics, Nets, Mavericks, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Knicks, Raptors, and Jazz are all carrying 14 players on full-season standard contracts and three on two-way deals, with no reported signings pending. They’re each free to carry that open roster spot for as long as they want to, though some figure to fill it sooner rather than later.

Two teams that can’t fill their openings sooner rather than later are Dallas and New York. The Knicks are just $540,126 below their second-apron hard cap, while the Mavericks have a mere $171,120 to operate below their first-apron hard cap. Based on my math, New York would be able to sign a veteran free agent as a 15th man as of February 28 (that date moved up a day as a result of the Knicks trimming $4,825 from their cap in the Delon Wright/Jericho Sims swap), while Dallas will have to wait until March 31.

The Hornets are in this group because they have a two-way slot open, but their standard roster is full for now. In fact, it’s more than full — as a result of having been granted a hardship exception, they’re temporarily carrying 16 players instead of the usual maximum of 15. Elfrid Payton, on a 10-day deal, is the 16th man.

The Pacers and Clippers, meanwhile, each technically have an open roster spot for now, but they reportedly have deals in place with prospective 15th men. Indiana will sign center Alex Len once he clears waivers, while L.A. will add three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. Both players are on track to clear waivers on Monday.

Teams with no open roster spots

Chicago Bulls
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs *
Washington Wizards *

The Bulls, Nuggets, Pistons, Rockets, Lakers, Grizzlies, Heat, Thunder, Magic, Suns, and Trail Blazers are all carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. If they want to make a free agent addition during the season’s final two months, they’ll have to cut a player to do so.

That won’t necessarily be the case for the Spurs and Wizards though. Both clubs have just 14 players on full-season standard contracts, with one on a 10-day deal — Bismack Biyombo for San Antonio and Jaylen Nowell for Washington. Once those contracts expire, the Spurs and Wizards could open up a roster spot if they opt not to retain Biyombo and Nowell, respectively.

Sixers’ Joel Embiid May Require Another Knee Surgery

February 9th, 2025 at 4:10pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Sixers center Joel Embiid has had very limited availability for Philadelphia this season due to a lingering left knee ailment that he has been dealing with since last February.

A year ago, Embiid incurred a lateral meniscus injury against Golden State, underwent surgery, and made a hasty return in April for a playoff push.

His knee apparently hasn’t been right ever since. Embiid has played especially sparingly since the calendar flipped over to 2025, appearing in just five games amidst knee issues.

During Philadelphia’s nationally televised matchup with Milwaukee on Sunday, ABC’s Lisa Salters reported (Twitter video link) that the 30-year-old may require another knee surgery and an extended recuperation window.

“I asked Joel Embiid how that left knee feels and he gave a really long pause and just said, ‘It is what it is,'” Salters said. “He said to still be talking about it and dealing with it almost a full year after the injury first occurred has been frustrating and the most difficult thing he’s ever had to go through in his career. He said he wishes he could play in every game, but his body just isn’t allowing him to do that right now. When the knee swells up, there’s just nothing he can really do about it.

“Sixers GM Daryl Morey this week said the organization is hopeful that there will come a time that the knee isn’t an issue anymore, and Embiid said he believes that will be the case. But he said he thinks it will likely take another surgery and a long recovery period, something he didn’t have after the initial injury last February.”

In the 16 games he has managed to play for the 20-32 Sixers, Embiid has put up solid numbers, though they’re well below his typical All-NBA production since the 2020/21 season.

Across those 16 games, the Kansas alum is averaging 24.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.8 steals per game.

Sixers Rumors

Teams with multiple open roster spots

Teams with one open roster spot

Teams with no open roster spots