Joel Embiid Explains Cryptic Tweet After Celtics’ Jrue Holiday Trade

Joel Embiid claims he wasn’t being sarcastic Sunday when he reacted to the Celtics’ latest big move.

Boston wrapped up the weekend by trading two players and two first-round draft picks in exchange for Jrue Holiday. The blockbuster move was executed a mere four days after another Eastern Conference powerhouse, the Milwaukee Bucks, landed one of the NBA’s best players in Damian Lillard.

The moves prompted Embiid to chime in on social media about the league’s “fun” offseason, which didn’t sound very genuine when you consider how the spring and summer shook out in Philadelphia. But the reigning MVP on Monday insisted he wasn’t being satirical.

“I thought it was fun just seeing the interaction around the league,” Embiid told reporters, per Sports Illustrated. “Guys getting traded left and right. Teams getting better and better, making it tougher for every other team. I thought it was fun just looking at the back-and-forth between fans. You got Miami fans that are mad, and you have Milwaukee fans that are happy, and now you got Boston fans that are happy. That’s what I saw. I thought it was just fun seeing whatever that going on. On a personal level, (the offseason) was cool. It was fun. Spending time with my family, it was fun. To me, it was an A-plus summer. I had a lot of fun.”

Embiid also pushed back on the notion that the Celtics and the Bucks “surpassed” the 76ers in the East, even though Philly hasn’t advanced past the second round of the playoffs in over two decades.

As fate would have it, Embiid and company will open the regular season in Milwaukee against Lillard and the new-look Bucks on Oct. 26.