Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers have come together on a massive five-year contract extension that should keep the talented big man at the center of The Process for quite some time. There was plenty of speculation, though, that the contract could include some creative and (very) interesting language on the heels of widespread injury issues that have plagued Embiid through his first three professional seasons.
On Tuesday evening, Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks of ESPN shed light on the specifics of the 35-page long contract and, as anticipated, they are a little bit weird. In short, the report indicates that Philadelphia could waive Embiid’s contract “for financial benefit” but only in the event that he misses 25 or more games while playing less than 1,650 minutes in any of the last four seasons of the deal.
ESPN’s reporting also says that only “past problem areas with Embiid’s feet and back” are covered under the provision above, meaning injuries to other areas that force him out of action would not trigger the injury clause. Even if those particular injuries emerge, the Sixers would have to essentially decide to release him while still paying out a hefty sum of money. Specifically, Philadelphia would reportedly end up paying Embiid $84.2 million (in total for the contract) if he was waived after 2018-2019, $98.2 million after 2019-20, $113.3 million after 2020-2021 and a whopping $129.4 million if the move was executed following the 2021-22 season.
On the bright side for Embiid, he reportedly could also take the possibility off the table entirely by simply… being available.
What’s more, if Embiid plays a minimum of 1,650 regular-season minutes in three consecutive years during the extension, or three out of four including the 2017-18 season, those benchmarks would eliminate the possibility of a reduction in the contract, league sources said.
In some ways, it seems absolutely inconceivable that the Sixers would actually cut Embiid in this way but, at the end of the day, this does protect the team in the event of a career-altering ailment. Zach Lowe wasn’t kidding when he said Embiid’s deal is “perhaps the most complex” in the history of the NBA and we have a little more knowledge as to how it might play out in the future.
Now, NBA fans can go back to hoping that none of this ever comes into play for one of the most entertaining basketball players on the planet.
