The 76ers want Joel Embiid to lose weight, determined with the NBA team to become difficult and stop the 'codding' of their $ 213 million superstar, DailYMail.com can reveal.
Philadelphia tends to the rest of the season to the 'closing' Embiid and prefer that he is operated on immediately – provided that he has to go under the knife.
Embiid currently has a four-year-old deal of $ 213 million, but the 30-year-old owes another $ 192 million between 2026 and 2028.
But he was excluded from Monday match against the Chicago Bulls after reporting new imaging on his injured left knee.
The sevenfold All-Star, who was reportedly called by Tyrese Maxey in November, played this season in just 19 of the 56 games of the Sixers.
In the loss of 105-103 on Saturday before the Brooklyn Nets, Embiid fell on the ground after the ball left late in the third quarter and was kept from the fourth quarter. His knee was swollen after the game.
The 76ers want Joel Embiid to lose weight and consider 'closing' to 2025
The sevenfold All-Star played this season in just 19 56 games of the Sixers
The MVP of 2022-23 underwent an operation for a meniscus tear in February 2024 and played in just 39 games last season.
Embiid has acknowledged that he might need an extensive rest for the injury to cure and Dailymail.com understands that the 30-year-old could be the rest of the 2024-25 campaign.
“They will pay him a boat load money in the coming years, and they have coded him for far too long, the team wants things to change and ask him to get better, get healthy,” said a source.
“They also want him to lose some weight and get better in shape, because if he weighs less, it will be better for his legs and knees.”
The source added: 'The 76ers now lean to close Joel for the rest of the season, the record they have is terrible and they have no way to the title this year, so it's a must to make him healthy, “A source said.
'If he needs an operation, the team would like it to be done immediately so that he would be ready next year … So to close it is the decision that will be taken next week, that's what is something They want to do. The team does not want him to be injured even more.
“It's more a planning process now that they are dealing to see when they will close it, some would say, it's all paperwork to the inevitable.”
The 76ers are 12th in the Eastern Conference, 1.5 games from 10th place, which represents the last berth in the play-in tournament to try to make the play-offs.
This season, Embiid is an average of 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He shoots out 44.4 percent, well under his career mark of 50.1.
Dailymail.com has contacted the 76ers for comments.
