10 years since the Philadelphia 76ers brought in Joel Embiid as the No. 3 pick in 2014. He’s managed to lead his team to five playoffs meanwhile, never getting past the Conference Semi-Finals. While this exact lack of playoff success has been the biggest weapon of many ridiculers, Embiid has done a great job of trusting the process. Yet, as he is standing at the cusp of retirement years in the NBA, “The Process” himself has a hard time keeping a cool head.

“I’d be lying to say that patience wasn’t tested. Because I’m at the point where there’s no awards, there’s no regular season or no All-NBA or All-Stars is going to change the way my legacy is,” the 30-year-old admitted to ESPN. “So when you start thinking about what you want to be remembered as, you want to be remembered as someone that’s won.” 

It certainly is an argument that many would find hard to contest. Even so, the Sixers’ big man decided to trust Daryl Morey and his promise – be patient. But when the efficient Sixers GM proposed something of a gamble to help him in his quest for a ring, the franchise superstar had his doubts. What was this gamble, though?

James Harden‘s addition was supposed to develop Philly into a championship-level contender. Unfortunately, ‘The Beard’ turned out to be a thorn in the foot, which they could not simply toss aside without an assured treatment plan in place. So that’s what Morey did. He wouldn’t bow down to Harden’s usual tactics unless getting an equally capable star or resources that ensured the chances of landing one.

The second scenario happened. The trade that sent James to the Clippers provided Philly with expiring contracts and draft capital. It significantly opened up their cap space, meaning they had the finances to offer an elite free agent their asking price. But there was a slight hitch in their plan – Tyrese Maxey.

How Daryl Morey worked around Tyrese Maxey to keep his promise to Joel Embiid

When we said Maxey, we meant the rather sizable contract extension that he was eligible to sign last summer. We don’t have to tell you that the Texas guard was making noise, emerging as a player to look out for. And the 23-year-old did exactly that in 2023-24. Maxey was named to his first All-Star team and was awarded the Most Improved Player as well as the NBA Sportsmanship Award for his contributions to the team.

As such, he was eligible for a full-max contract extension – a five-year $204 million deal. However, and this is the important part if Maxey had signed an extension last summer, his cap hold would have increased to $35 million this season (last year’s cap hold – $13 million), effectively leaving the 76ers with not enough space to sign a big free agent like Paul George.

But having acquiesced to Morey’s request, Maxey agreed to wait. And it was well worth it. Philadelphia received an All-Star guard in Paul George. And at the price he asked. The irony here is, that he was one of the cornerstones of the very team that Harden was impatient to move to. Suffice it to say that Daryl Morey got the last laugh.

So, how does the dominant 7-footer feel now? “On paper, and as far as the fit, it looks fantastic because you got both guys that can play off the ball, and they can play on ball and they’re great shooters and they can handle the ball, and then you also got me,” Joel Embiid said with that subtle confident demeanor.

 Before you go, though, be sure to check this video of Leonardo Armato’s take on the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe. Don’t forget to check back in for more such updates from our ES Fancast!