The New York Knicks have been one of the teams to beat this season. However, this only came after they restructured their roster and made some significant additions to their squad. With 38 wins and 20 losses, the Knicks look like a strong playoff contender for this season. A chunk of the credit indeed goes to Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. Pairing up with Jalen Brunson, the Knicks have one of the most dominant trio in the NBA. Meanwhile, according to recent news, the Knicks’ roster could have looked slightly different if the Philadelphia 76ers had agreed to trade Joel Embiid.
In an update from Jake L. Fischer from ‘The Stein Line,’ the Knicks were ready to go all in for Joel Embiid. The report details that the Knicks wanted to give up all of the draft picks to the Philadelphia 76ers to acquire the services of Embiid.
The full report from Fischer, as posted by ‘The NBA Central’ read, “Once upon a time, Philly presumably could have extracted every draft pick that New York possessed before it splurged on trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Knicks were always the rival threat, sources said, that Sixers officials knew was waiting to pounce if Embiid ever reached the trade market.”
The New York Knicks were rumored to be willing to trade every single one of their draft picks for Joel Embiid before pivoting to Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, per @JakeLFischer
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 27, 2025
“Once upon a time, Philly presumably could have extracted every draft pick that New York… pic.twitter.com/1QQS0rCsbW
However, much to their dismay, the 76ers did not want to let the former NBA MVP go. The Knicks went with KAT and Mikal Bridges with no other option. On the contrary, Embiid got a contract extension of $193 million from the 76ers. Meanwhile, as things did not go as planned, the fates of the New York Knicks and Joel Embiid have turned out to be quite contrasting.
Joel Embiid Continues To Struggle With Injuries
Joel Embiid has been struggling with his injury woes for a long time now. Embiid tore his meniscus last season, which made him unavailable for a significant period. Since his injury, the 76ers’ star has featured in only 39 games so far. After opting for surgery back in February 2024, Embiid once again had his knee complications flaring up. As a result, he sat out for 15 more games last season.
Cut to the present season, Embiid’s injury woes do not seem to have diminished. In a recent confession from the NBA star, Embiid spoke about the possibility of yet another surgery.
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“I think the straightforward answer is that when you’ve got something that’s inconsistent, at some point, you’ve got to do something about it,” Embiid said. He further added, “We don’t know what it is. We’re looking into every option.”
REPORT: Joel Embiid believes he will need surgery & long recovery to get his “injured knee right.” 😳
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) February 9, 2025
Thoughts? 🤔
Via. @saltersl pic.twitter.com/yqCHzoo32l
Thus, with growing concerns over Joel Embiid’s form, the New York Knicks might just consider themselves lucky. Who knows what would have happened if the 76ers had denied them the trade back then?
