According to a source who spoke with Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Luka Doncic wants the Los Angeles Lakers to add an ‘A-list center’ this offseason. That request could send the Lakers down a rabbit hole. It could send them down a bunch of different rabbit holes, actually. And one of them could involve Joel Embiid.
Embiid is on a massive, ugly contract. But when he’s healthy, he’s one of the best players on the planet, and absolutely an ‘A-List center.’ The problem is, he’s rarely healthy. But depending on how much pressure Doncic puts on the Lakers, perhaps he could be a name they consider trading for.
And that could end in disaster.
Lakers should not trade for Joel Embiid
Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers made it out of the first round this year, defeating the Boston Celtics and mounting a 3-1 comeback in the process. In that first round, Embiid looked impressive.
He was a dominant force, bullying the Celtics in the paint and leading the charge for the Sixers. But by the second round – a series that ended in an eventual four-game sweep for the New York Knicks – Embiid came crashing back down to earth.
The injuries caught up to him. He missed games. And when Embiid was on the court, he wasn’t the same guy who had just beaten the Celtics in the previous round.
However, if LeBron James leaves LA this summer, they could have some money. And perhaps they could be willing to bring Embiid on board with some of that cap space. (They would have to send out a contract or two to make the money work, too, but the point is, it could theoretically be possible.)
At this point, Philly may be eager to let Embiid walk. They probably want to get off his contract so they can start building around Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe more effectively.
Because of that, the Lakers could potentially land Embiid for a very, very small price, and perhaps that could be worth the risk (especially if the deal makes Doncic happy).
However, if Embiid didn’t work out in LA – which seems likely, based on his injury history – the Lakers would be hamstrung. Unable to build around Doncic because of Embiid’s ugly contract.
So, on the one hand, perhaps a trade for Embiid could appease the part of Doncic’s brain that wants to play next to an elite center. But on the other hand, a Lakers trade for Embiid could be an absolute disaster.
Doncic’s request could make the Lakers at least consider the idea, but it’s definitely not one that they should go through with.
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