Report: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers agree to 5-year contract extension

On the eve of the regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly come to an agreement with Joel Embiid on a contract extension.

It appears the Philadelphia 76ers will continue to embrace “The Process” for several years to come.

According to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Joel Embiid and the Sixers have come to an agreement on a five-year, $148 million contract extension. Furthermore, the 23-year-old Embiid has the potential to earn up to an additional $30 million over the life of the deal if he meets certain criteria, such as being named to an All-NBA First, Second or Third team, or being named MVP for a particular season.

Appearing on SportsCenter, Wojnarowksi further detailed the nature of the contract:

"“This is as unique a contract as the league has seen, maybe ever. If Embiid were to suffer a major injury, a catastrophic injury, couldn’t go on, the Sixers would have to waive him, they would have to release him, for Embiid not to get that full $148 million.Even if he was hurt and missed games like a normal player was going to miss, there’s no games played in the contract, that’s not allowed in the NBA. Philadelphia gets protection if the foot, if the knee, if any of that gives out and he can’t play any more. But even then, Embiid would still get roughly half this contract. This is a unique talent, he’s a franchise player.”"

On the surface, this represents an incredibly risky deal on the part of the Sixers. Having played just 31 games over his three seasons in the league, investing a five-year deal into a player whose health has been consistently questionable is certainly a bold move. Having said that, Embiid’s impact on the floor, when available, has been profound.

Last season, Embiid averaged 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game. But perhaps Embiid’s most notable impact was the difference in performance for the Sixers when he was on and off the court.

Up until his past season ended prematurely, the Sixers were 8.6 points per 100 possessions worse off defensively when Embiid was off the floor.

A seven-footer with the agility of a guard, Embiid’s combination of athleticism and instinct makes for not only an incredible influence at the defensive end, but provides him with the ability to score from virtually anywhere on the floor. As head coach Brett Brown said prior to the Sixers’ most recent preseason game against the Boston Celtics:

"“His physical presence; he does it with a defensive mindset, and he does it with an offensive target that is different than anything else that we have.”"

As is his custom, Embiid took to social media to celebrate the news:

Due to a steady recovery from his season-ending knee injury last season, Embiid has watched from the sidelines for the initial three games of the Sixers’ preseason.

But to try to fully grasp the potential Embiid possesses, coach Brown made an extremely valid analogy:

"“He does things on a court that remind me of, you know, somebody that’s able to hear music and just play the song. You know, he will study [Tim] Duncan, or study KD, or another player, and all of a sudden it’s a part of his game. He’s very unique, very unique.”"

Next: 30 reasons to be excited for the 2017-18 NBA season

With words like these, it’s somewhat easier to understand why the Sixers’ front office have made such a sizeable investment.