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Contract Allows Sixers To Waive Joel Embiid If Injuries Reoccur
Philadelphia big man Joel Embiid’s max contract extension was one of the hottest topics in the last couple of days. When healthy, he’s proven to be worth the contract, but with Embiid, injuries are a red flag.
Through his first three NBA seasons, Embiid was only able to play 31 games, that’s 51 games less than former number one draft pick Greg Oden has played in his first three years. You all know how his career sadly ended before it began.
When announcing the contract extension, many reports stated that there were many protections for the Sixers in this very complicated contract. Now, ESPN (on behalf on Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks), released some first contract details. If Embiid misses 25 or more games in the final four years of the contract, the Sixers have the option to waive him.
Across each of the final four seasons of the extension, ending with the 2022-23 season, the 76ers could waive Embiid for a financial benefit if he’s lost because of a contractually agreed upon injury that causes him to miss 25 or more regular-season games and if he plays less than 1,650 minutes, league sources said.
Specific injuries are laid out in the contract and only include past problem areas with Embiid’s feet and back, sources said. Embiid has to miss 25 or more regular-season games because of injuries in those areas, and play less than 1,650 minutes, for Philadelphia to have the option of releasing him for cost savings…
If Embiid meets that narrow criteria and the Sixers decided to waive him after the 2018-19 season, he would receive $84.2 million of his full contract; $98.2 million after the 2019-20 season; $113.3 million after the 2020-21 season and $129.4 million after the 2021-22 season.
Interestingly, it has to be specific injuries that Embiid has battled before. So far, these were a stress fracture in his back, a broken navicular bone in his right foot, including a major setback the year after, and a torn meniscus in his left knee. So for example, if Embiid breaks his arm or hip, or tears his ACL the contract stays intact and the Sixers won’t be eligible to waive him.
These stipulations included, it does sounds like a good deal for both sides. An injury prone Embiid gets a max contract, Philadelphia has protections.
