Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid riles up NBA twitter: ‘Miami needs another star'
Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler played together in Philadelphia during 2018-2019 season
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The NBA Conference Finals haven’t exactly been riveting, with both the Western and Eastern Conference playoffs filled with blowouts.
Thank goodness NBA fans have Philadelphia 76ers All-NBA center Joel Embiid to keep things interesting.
Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball against the Heat during Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 10, 2022, at FTX Arena in Miami, Florida. (Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
As the Boston Celtics were putting the finishing touches on their 93-80 Game 5 victory over the Miami Heat Wednesday night, Embiid took to Twitter with a message.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Miami needs another Star," Embiid posted.
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And while it was more than likely an innocent comment, not much is taken lightly on NBA Twitter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Embiid, tweeting about the team led by his former teammate in Jimmy Butler, signed a supermax extension in the offseason to stay in Philadelphia through the 2026-27 season. But this is the NBA, and any little thing can cause a stir.
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Following the Sixers' loss to the Heat in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, Embiid and Butler shared an on-court embrace, with both stars discussing their relationship following the game.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I’m happy for him," Embiid told reporters according to Yahoo Sports. "I won’t sit here and say I didn’t wish he was my teammate. I still don’t know how we let him go. I wish I could’ve gone to battle with him still, but it is what it is."
Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid celebrates after Game 6 of the first-round playoff series, April 28, 2022, in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Philadelphia has been struggling to find the right superstar to pair with Embiid since he entered the league in 2014. The duo of Embiid and point guard Ben Simmons appeared to be one that would last a decade, until Simmons stopped shooting during the 2021 NBA Playoffs and demanded a trade in the offseason.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The 76ers thought they finally found Embiid’s running mate when they traded Simmons for James Harden in February, but Harden was a shell of the player we saw in Houston, leaving many to wonder whether he's worth the max contract he’s eligible for.
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Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler drives past the Celtics' Jayson Tatum during the Eastern Conference finals Saturday, May 21, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Maybe Embiid and Butler will be paired together again one day. This is the NBA, where situations can turn on a dime and players move around with ease. But it’s more likely that Embiid, also a fan of the game, was simply stating the obvious. Miami badly needs another star to help Butler, which was painfully apparent as the Heat shot a dreadful 15.6% from the three-point line Wednesday night.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Everyone is thinking it, and Embiid simply threw his hat into the ring.