Brian Windhorst on Joel Embiid questioning his future in Philly:
“He has 3 years $192M left on his contract which will begin next season. I can promise him he will definitely be back. He is not going anywhere”
Getty
Brian Windhorst addresses Joel Embiid's future with 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers enter another important offseason after their playoff run ended with a second-round sweep against the New York Knicks. Despite upsetting the Boston Celtics in the opening round, Philadelphia could not keep pace with New York, which advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals after a dominant four-game series.
Attention quickly shifted to Joel Embiid’s future after comments following the season and growing frustration around the organization’s roster decisions. ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst addressed the situation Monday on “Get Up,” explaining why Embiid is still expected to remain with the franchise despite questions surrounding the team’s direction.
Embiid is under contract long term alongside Paul George, while the 76ers also face decisions involving free agents Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes. Philadelphia now heads into the offseason trying to regroup after another disappointing playoff exit.
Windhorst said Embiid’s future in Philadelphia is financially and structurally tied to the franchise.
Brian Windhorst on Joel Embiid questioning his future in Philly:
“He has 3 years $192M left on his contract which will begin next season. I can promise him he will definitely be back. He is not going anywhere”
“Well, let me say that I do think this was a success because they beat the Celtics in that first-round series with the comeback,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “Embiid was awesome.”
Windhorst then pointed to Embiid’s contract situation while discussing speculation about the star center’s long-term future.
“It’s a little bit worrying to hear him say we came into the season thought he was about done,” Windhorst said. “Considering he has three years and $192 million left on his contract, which is a new extension which will begin next season.”
Windhorst added that Philadelphia’s roster structure leaves little room for major changes around Embiid and George.
“And that is why I can promise him he will definitely be back,” Windhorst said. “He is not going anywhere.”
The 76ers signed Embiid to a long-term extension, while George is also under contract for a massive deal.
Windhorst noted that Philadelphia’s offseason focus will likely center on retaining role players rather than reshaping the core roster.
“The Sixers do have a couple of free agents, Kelly Oubre, Quentin Grimes that they have to deal with,” Windhorst said. “But with him and Paul George locked into enormous salaries, this is going to be a team that’s going to mostly have these guys next season.”
GettyPhiladelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid
Questions surrounding Embiid’s relationship with the organization grew during the second half of the season.
According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, Embiid became frustrated with the front office around the trade deadline, particularly after Philadelphia traded guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jones wrote that Embiid “implored the front office to do something other than what he termed ‘ducking the (luxury) tax.’”
Jones also reported that Embiid and others in the locker room “were not happy with the decision to trade second-year guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder, particularly without bringing in a player to replace McCain.”
McCain later became an important contributor to Oklahoma City after the trade.
Despite the frustration, Embiid publicly focused more on family and life away from basketball after the season-ending loss to New York.
Speaking after Game 4 with his son sitting on his lap, Embiid discussed road crowds targeting him during games.
“We go on the road, they’re chanting,” Embiid said. “I hate that he hears that. But he has to understand that that’s the way the world is.”
Embiid also downplayed concerns about his basketball legacy.
“I could care less about what people think about me when it comes to basketball,” Embiid said. “I think I’ve done a lot of stuff off the court.”
The 2026 postseason was another physically demanding run for Embiid, who dealt with a hip issue, a sprained ankle, and an appendectomy. He still averaged 24 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.
For now, though, Windhorst made clear that Philadelphia’s future remains centered around Embiid and George as the franchise looks toward next season after another early playoff exit.
Debayan Biswas Debayan Biswas is a sports writer at Heavy Sports covering NBA, NFL, Soccer, and Golf. His work has been syndicated on Yahoo Sports, Yardbarker, Flipboard, The Sun News, and The Olympian. Previously, he contributed to Athlon Sports, EssentiallySports, and PFSN. More about Debayan Biswas
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