Joel Embiid’s huge $270m move leaves Ben Simmons in 76ers limbo

Philadelphia has gone chips in on Joel Embiid but for his partner in crime Ben Simmons, the situation remains as cloudy as ever.

Philadelphia is sure about at least one of its stars.

Big man Joel Embiid is finalising a four-year, fully guaranteed $US196 million ($AUD270m) supermax contract extension with the 76ers that will keep him in Philly until the 2026-27 season, ESPN reported.

The contract includes a player option for the final year, according to ESPN.

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But it does not come with provisions protecting the 76ers in case the injury prone 27-year-old suffers a “catastrophic” injury to his lower back or feet, like the five-year, $200 million deal he signed in 2017, the network reported.

Embiid has never played more than 64 games in a season.

The four-time All-Star finished second in MVP voting last season, averaging 28.5 points and 10.6 rebounds in 51 regular-season games. Embiid had two years worth $90 million left on his previous deal.

While extending Embiid was the easy part of this off-season, the Sixers are still trying to navigate the situation with Ben Simmons, who is currently in limbo with the franchise.

Embiid is staying in Philly but what will Simmons do?

Following Simmons’ lacklustre performance in the 76ers’ loss to Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, Philly head coach Doc Rivers memorably said he couldn’t answer a question about whether the 25-year-old could be the point guard on a championship-calibre team.

Then, Embiid pointed to what is now infamously known as “The Pass” – when Simmons opted to dump it to Matisse Thybulle under the rim rather than shoot with 3:30 left in the 76ers’ Game 7 loss – as the turning point for Philadelphia.

Shortly after the Sixers’ season ended, ESPN reported that discussions regarding Simmons’ future with the organisation began and speculation continues to rage he will be traded before next season starts.

Pundits and fans in the US suggested by offering Embiid a supermax extension, the 76ers had shown their hand and were willing to bet on their centre at the expense of Simmons, making it even more likely the Aussie star won’t be in Philadelphia much longer.

Was he was told of Ben Simmons’ fate? I would think YES. #Waittoseehttps://t.co/oh7gH7g5GS

— David P. Samson (@DavidPSamson) August 17, 2021

Embiid signed that fat extension 4yrs 196Mil…yea Ben Simmons is gone.

— Carp (@robcarpenter81) August 17, 2021

Both Simmons and Embiid have spent their entire NBA careers in Philadelphia, having been teammates since the 2017-18 season. Since he was drafted No. 3 in 2014, Embiid has posted a career average of 24.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and led the team to the playoffs the last four seasons.

This story first appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission