It hasn't been the best year for Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.
He has only played 13 games thus far, and even when he's on the floor, the superstar big man isn't near the MVP-level he was playing at in 2023. He's dealing with lingering knee problems and can appear rather disinterested.
With the $244 million he is set to earn in the coming years, Embiid ranked as the third worst contract in the NBA by The Sporting News. If his contract wasn't so lucrative, the market would be a lot more interested in trading for him. His minutes played compared to his contract don't come close to aligning.
"Even if Embiid manages to play in half of his games over the lifetime of his contract, which seems like a stretch, his contract would be worth negative $100 million. He would have to find a way to play around 70 games at 30 minutes per game before he starts outproducing his contract," Sporting News' Stephen Noh wrote.
No team would want to take on such a giant contract for a player often dealing with injuries. His teammates have even called him out for tardiness. The biggest issue is getting him on the floor. When he does play, he is still phenomenal.
Through all of the NBA investigations for his injury, altercations with reporters, injuries, and lack of energy, it's easy to understand why Embiid is viewed as having one of the worst contracts in the entire league.
Which puts the 76ers in a tough position because they can't find a team that'd be interested in trading for him. He has a player option after the 2028 season, but if things continue Philadelphia will have their hands tied on what they can do.
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