Defeating France on their home floor, Joel Embiid finally fulfilled his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal. While Team USA’s journey was smooth sailing, his was filled with ups and downs from getting benched in one game to scoring 19 points in the semi-final against Serbia. But he is an Olympian nevertheless. And now that the job is done, Embiid has a new task at hand as the coming weeks could decide his future with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Don’t worry. He is not leaving the Sixers. At least not anytime soon! Now that his international duty is over, Embiid is reportedly expected to begin negotiations with Daryl Morey’s franchise regarding his contract extension. Although he just finished the first year of his four-year $196 million contract and has two more guaranteed years left on the deal, he is eligible to sign a three-year $192 million maximum extension that will come into effect two years from now. If the deal goes through, Joel could remain in Philly for the next five years.

Being a former MVP and averaging a career-high 34.7 points this past season, the decision to extend Joel’s contract should be a no brainer for the Sixers. Right? Well, the decision is not that simple. Obviously, the biggest concern on Morey’s mind would be his injury history. This season alone, Embiid was limited to playing only 39 games after he had to undergo a surgery to repair the injured meniscus on his left knee. Moreover, he is already thirty years old and as he grows older, the injury concerns will only pile up. Add that to his history of not showing up in the playoffs, and the Sixers could have a serious problem at hand. However, Embiid’s talent and marketability might be too good to ignore for the Sixers as reports suggest that they are sure to offer him an extension despite the concerns.

Next season could decide Joel Embiid’s fate

Well, after ten years of playoff failure for Embiid, it could all depend on the outcome of next season. With the addition of Paul George, Morey has put all his chips on the table and surely, he is expecting their new Big 3 to take over instantly. More importantly, the Olympics experience might have come at exactly the right time for Joel as he claims to have learnt a lot in the last six weeks, “When I go back to Philly, having some of my other guys, just learning how to take a step back and letting them do their thing and taking over when needed—that’s been something I’ve gotten from this experience.”

Playing alongside some of the greats of the game, Joel realized that even the best in the business need help to win. And now that he has PG and Maxey by his side, he could save himself from lingering injury issues by letting the other two stars take over occasionally. Surely, if the strategy goes well and the Sixers are able to reach even the Conference finals, that might give Morey the confidence to trust Embiid for the next five years. Do you agree?

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger