Everyone knows the Sacramento Kings are open to some pretty big trades. As such, they get connected to almost every major trade rumor, such as Ja Morant. Now, the Kings are also connected to rumors surrounding Joel Embiid. Much like Morant, this is one trade that just cannot happen.
The Morant trade first came up around the 2026 deadline. Sacramento wanted to move on from Zach LaVine, and the Memphis Grizzlies need the Morant era to end. That trade was held up by the Grizz wanting a first-round draft pick that the Kings absolutely had no intention of including.
While rumors of a Morant/LaVine trade are swirling once again, there are now also rumors of a trade that would see Embiid head to Sacramento and Domantas Sabonis move to Philadelphia. It seems crazy, but a lot has changed in Philly in a very short period of time.
The end of a 76ers era
Since drafting the seven-time All-Star in 2014, Embiid's run in Philadelphia has been rough to say the least. His career has been plagued by injuries, preventing both him and the 76ers from reaching their full potential. The team has won neither a conference title nor a league championship in that time.
Fans thought things would change this offseason. Embiid was mostly healthy, Paul George was playing well for once, and both Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe were on fire. None of that stopped the Knicks from sweeping them with authority in the second round of the playoffs.
The end result has been the termination of the now former President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey. His inability to build a deep bench around their stars and the constant trading of great players like Jared McCain are inevitably a huge part of that decision. Embiid is likely next.
Sacramento needs Embiid as much as they need Morant
If Embiid was going to lead the 76ers to a championship, it would have happened by now. It's time for them to look to a future anchored by Maxey and Edgecombe. Being that Embiid has three more very expensive years on his contract, a trade is coming, and it had better not be with the Kings.
Embiid is an incredible player when he's healthy. The problem is that he's missed 47% of the regular-season games in his career due to injury. Being on the wrong side of 30 means that it's just going to get worse. Plus, he's averaging $62.6 million per season for the next three seasons. That's a no.
The Kings are already having huge money problems, and trading Sabonis for Embiid would make them so much worse. And he is not the kind of player a rebuilding team needs. In fact, Embiid is the opposite. Like Morant, this is a trade rumor that needs to stay a rumor.
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