Joel Embiid wants to keep this 76ers core together, even with Giannis trade rumors swirling

Joel Embiid is in the middle of a career renaissance. He hasn’t scored under 29 points in his last six games, fans are leaving five-star reviews for his surgeon on Google, and the Sixers are sitting at 26-21. Life could definitely be worse.

Coming into the season, nobody really had expectations for the 76ers. Most of us thought this would be Embiid’s last run, Paul George would get moved, and we’d spend the year watching Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe develop. Now, Philly looks like it at least has a fighter’s chance to make some noise in the postseason, and the Giannis trade rumors just keep heating up.

We all know what it would take to get Giannis here. VJ, Jared McCain, and basically every future draft pick would be gone. Pairing Giannis with Embiid is tempting to think about, but even the big man doesn’t sound like he wants to mess up a good thing right now.

When asked about the looming trade deadline after Thursday night’s win, Embiid was pretty clear about what he wants to happen.

Joel Embiid wants to keep this team together and I have no choice but to trust him

Joel Embiid, asked about keeping the team together at the trade deadline:

"In the past we've been ducking the tax, so hopefully we think about improving [the team at the deadline], because we got a chance."

"I hope that at least we get a chance to just go out and compete,… pic.twitter.com/QdCz3HlbL9

— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) January 30, 2026

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If there’s any athlete in this city I’d trust with my life, it’s Joel Embiid. So when he says he wants to keep this team together, I’m inclined to listen. I just hope Daryl Morey feels the same way.

I know the goal every year is to win a championship, but I’m just having so much fun watching this team play. It doesn’t feel like there’s any pressure to win it all, and honestly, that’s refreshing. For once, I can just sit back and watch my team enjoy it. I don’t want to mess that up.