‘It’s been crazy’: Joel Embiid reflects on eight years of NBA trade deadlines and ‘The Process’

With so many trades during his tenure with the 76ers, one has to wonder how Joel Embiid maintains close relationships with teammates.

The Sixers have made a plethora of roster moves since he was drafted third in the 2014 draft, then sat out his first two seasons due to foot surgeries. And the team has made at least one transaction at the trade deadline in five of his first seven years with the Sixers.

“Oh, it’s been crazy,” said Embiid, who’s in his eighth year as a Sixer. “I mean I came [in] my first year, I probably had freaking 100 teammates. They just kept coming and going. You know, you can see somebody today and they would be gone the next day. The same thing my second year, third year.

“It’s been crazy. I’ve had a lot of teammates.”

And even in the seasons when Embiid didn’t lose teammates, the Sixers remained active at the deadline. Back in 2016, the Sixers thought they acquired Joel Anthony from the Detroit Pistons and the Houston Rockets’ 2017 second-round in a three-team trade. However, the Pistons voided that trade because of Houston’s Donatas Motiejunas’ medical evaluation.

The Sixers didn’t make a transaction at the 2018 trade deadline. However, they signed Marco Belinelli and Ersan İlyasova in the buyout market.

» READ MORE: The Sixers are unlikely to trade Ben Simmons before June’s NBA draft despite James Harden chatter, sources say

Embiid could have at least one more new teammate before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline or in the following buyout market. Or both.

Most of the intrigue is centered around what the Sixers do with disgruntled point guard Ben Simmons, who hasn’t played this season and wants to be traded. But a league source said Sunday that Simmons wouldn’t be moved at least until June’s NBA draft. But we’ll see if that remains true in the coming days. The Sixers could also make smaller moves at the deadline to shore up some deficiencies.

One thing that won’t change is the team’s focus on James Harden. The Sixers are all-in on acquiring the Brooklyn Nets guard in a trade or a forced sign-and-trade this summer.

Embiid was asked how he felt in general about Harden during Monday evening’s appearance on The Mike Missanelli Show on 97.5 The Fanatic.

“I don’t know,” Embiid said. “I haven’t heard anything, but I’ve seen the stuff coming out. I mean, he plays for the Brooklyn Nets. There’s nothing I can do about it. Like I said, I love all my teammates. But that’s like you asking me a question: Would you love playing with Steph Curry?

“Obviously, the top players, they all make each other better. And he’s even gotten close before. You know, he’s gotten to the conference finals. He’s gotten close to making it to the finals, but that’s something that I really can’t comment about because he plays on another team, and he’s not realistic to me.”

» READ MORE: Sixers’ Daryl Morey adores James Harden. Could that go too far in a Ben Simmons trade? | Mike Sielski

But the Sixers have had a revolving door of players throughout most of Embiid’s career, mostly because of trades. Embiid, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, Shake Milton, and Simmons are the only holdovers from the Sixers’ 2019-20 squad. Even that’s a bit misleading, considering Simmons isn’t playing.

The Sixers have had eight lottery acquisitions — Nerlens Noel (2013), Michael Carter-Williams (2013), Embiid (2014), Dario Saric (2014), Jahlil Okafor (2015), Simmons (2016), Markelle Fultz (2017), and Mikal Bridges (2018) — since the 2013 draft.

Once Simmons is moved, Embiid will become the team’s lone lottery acquisition.

“You know, it hasn’t worked out well when it comes to guys that we traded for, the draft and all that stuff,” Embiid said. “But like I said, it’s all about consistency. It’s hard.

“But when you have a group that you can trust and a group that’s been together for a while that’s able to [bond] into that championship contending team, that’s what you need. But the trade deadline is tough.”

The Sixers (32-21) were in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and 1 ½ games behind the first-place Miami Heat as of Sunday night.

Even with Embiid in the midst of a momentous season, the Sixers often appear as if their current roster isn’t good enough to make a run at the conference title.

“I’ve been fortunate to not really be involved [in a trade],” Embiid said.

» READ MORE: NBA trade deadline: Remembering every move made during ‘The Process’

But he doesn’t think he’s above being moved at some point of his career.

“I said in the past, some team comes and offers 10 first-round picks, that would be hard to say no,” he said. “So it is tough, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if your name is in trade rumors or stuff.

“It is business.”

Back during his first year in the NBA (2014-15), Embiid had 25 teammates who saw game action. The following season, 18 Sixers saw game action. And during the 2015-16 season, Embiid’s first as an active player, the Sixers played 21 guys. That’s a lot of different bodies for an NBA team.

Embiid realizes teams will make whatever move necessary to win a championship. That’s why he doesn’t understand why players get upset over being mentioned in trade talk.

“Like I say, it’s not personal,” Embiid said. “It’s business, and if I’m ever in that situation, I would understand. But it is hard.”