Currently, the 76ers sit at 34-29, which puts them as the 8th seed for the NBA playoffs. True to form, franchise center Embiid has been battling injuries. However, another growing concern for the 76ers, who are on the verge of missing the playoffs, is their contract situation. The Philadelphia 76ers have one of the worst contracts on their books; some might argue they have several.
Most notable is the insidious Joel Embiid contract. Joel Embiid has been with Philly his whole career. And according to BettingTop10 NZ, Embiid recently signed a new contract for the 2024-2025 NBA season, after already having multiple large contracts with the team. Embiid is on the books to the tune of $188 million through the 2029 season. To throw a monkey wrench into the mix, the last year of Embiid's contract has an option worth over $67 million.
However, the 76ers have two more problematic contracts on the books: Paul George and Tyrese Maxey. George is a well-known journeyman and a prolific scorer. George spent one season with the Los Angeles Clippers before hitting the open market two summers ago. The Sixers were often linked to George as one of the few teams actively pursuing him.
PG signed a four-year deal worth $211.5 million with Philadelphia back in 2024. George has a player option of $56.5 million for the 2027-2028 season. If he picks up the option, George would be on the books until 2028, one year before Embiid's option year is set to kick in. Nobody is denying that Embiid and George are major players on the field.
Both Embiid and George have proven their talents on basketball courts all over the world. They've been given several awards and have been invited to many All-Star games. However, injuries have crushed both player's availability with their respective teams. Embiid has been injury-prone since entering the NBA. Thankfully, he was able to stay reasonably healthy and avoid the bust label that has plagued others before him. Still, his ability to stay out on the court has been worrying recently.
Embiid appeared in 39 games during the 2023-2024 season. He played in 19 games this past 2024-2025 season. Through this season, he's played in 33 games. He had a nice, healthy stretch, but multiple setbacks have kept Embiid out of seven of the Sixers' last 10 games.
The latter might not seem so far-fetched. Expecting Embiid to play 75+ games isn't realistic anymore, which makes his contract an all-in bet with high risk for the Sixers. If injuries mount, the 76ers might not be so keen to pick up his option, especially if they can restock their talent with younger players for a new championship window.
George hasn't quite lived up to expectations with Philly. After dealing with multiple injuries this past 2024-2025 season, George's season came to an end after 41 games. PG was beginning to play more consistently this season, but landed a 25-game suspension after playing only 27 games. Philadelphia owes George $110 million past this season.
George has been injury-prone and hasn't quite lived up to his contract. If George wants to climb up this list, he would need to have a good run in the 2026 NBA Playoffs at the very least. However, if the 76ers miss out on the playoffs, look for big changes and trades in the offseason.
