Did the Sixers make a wise investment in signing Joel Embiid to max-salary extension?

For the 76ers, signing Joel Embiid to a maximum-salary extension was a no-brainer.

That said, the 7-foot-2 center has a history of postseason failures. Some Sixers fans are still amazed that the 2023 NBA MVP struggled through 5-for-18 shooting while scoring 15 points in a 112-88 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Just like in all his other postseasons, the seven-time All-Star was dealing with an injury. At that time, he was playing with a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his right knee and was noticeably fatigued.

Yet, when healthy and engaged, Embiid arguably is the league’s most unstoppable player. That’s why his presence alone gives the Sixers their best chance of winning an NBA title.

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So on Sept. 19, the 30-year-old was signed to a three-year, $192.9 million extension that will keep him under contract through the 2028-29 season. Embiid is set to make $69 million in the final year of his deal. And his career earnings will swell to $514.8 million, the fourth highest in NBA history behind LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Sixers teammate Paul George.

But two months later, some fans are starting to wonder if the team made a wise investment.

Embiid has missed 11 of the Sixers’ 15 games because of left knee injury management, left knee swelling, and a three-game suspension. In addition to that, word leaked that Tyrese Maxey challenged the franchise player to be on time to team activities, calling him out about being late “for everything,” and how that impacts the team.

It’s no secret that the team is trying to ensure that Embiid will be healthy come playoff time through load management. But no one would have envisioned the distractions that come with the suspension and the team meeting. And it appears that he may be still dealing with an injury to his left knee.

Embiid played in just 39 games last season largely because of a torn lateral meniscus in that knee. The center returned after surgery with seven games left in the season. He was still limited by the injury during the team’s first-round playoff series loss to the New York Knicks before helping Team USA win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics in August.

Yet, he will miss his second straight game because of left knee swelling on Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Wells Fargo Center. The swelling was revealed after Embiid didn’t participate in Friday’s pregame workout to determine his status for that night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.

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“He had some swelling from the last game,” coach Nick Nurse said Friday. “That’s something we knew we were going to be dealing with going into this season. [The Sixers medical staff], they do what they can do to remove that swelling. But it just didn’t feel good enough to go.

“We were pretty well aware of that. Not too much longer after [Nurse’s pregame] press conference ... that he wasn’t going to be able to go tonight.”

The coach added the team’s medical staff looked at Embiid’s knee again during the first half or halftime and decided to treat it this weekend. He could be reevaluated as early as Monday.

Whatever is causing the swelling might be part of why Embiid doesn’t resemble his usual self this season.

He’s averaging 19.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 37.9 % – including making just 3 of 18 three-pointers. Even though Embiid had season highs of 35 points and 11 rebounds on Wednesday, the ninth-year veteran still has yet to move like he has in seasons past.

His health combined with a perceived sense of entitlement have a portion of the fan base jumping off his bandwagon. Some view him as a problem instead of a solution for a squad that has the NBA’s second-worst record of 3-12.

The crowd at the Wells Fargo Center booed Friday when it was announced that he would miss the Nets game. The WIP Morning Show on WIP-FM (94.1) did a segment Thursday asking, “Is it time for the Sixers to move on from Joel Embiid?”

Then Friday, hours before Embiid was scratched from the game, the WIP Midday Show had a segment pondering, “Should Joel Embiid be booed tonight?”

Folks who hoped to boo him in person didn’t get their wish. And the fans looking to trade him this season are equally out of luck.

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Embiid cannot be traded until March because he signed his extension in September. The deadline to trade players is 3 p.m. on Feb. 6. And even if the Sixers wanted to trade him, it’s unlikely that they would receive a package back that they deemed of equal value.

Right now, he’s undergoing treatment. But there are some questions about how Embiid will fare upon his return.

Will he get back to being one of the league’s most dominant players over time? Will Embiid continue to experience knee swelling? How much mobility will he regain?

And if problems persist, will the Sixers regret giving Embiid the no-brainer extension?