NBA Rumors: Celtics Rival Has Blockbuster Offer In Mind For Joel Embiid

The 76ers are expected to be a mess this season, and that could lead to Joel Embiid demanding out of Philadelphia.

James Harden's situation with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey overshadowed any positivity from the franchise, and it's up in the air if Harden will suit up for the season opener against the Bucks on Thursday. The 34-year-old has been away from the team for most of the offseason heading into the season opener Tuesday.

An arms race would open up if Embiid requested a trade, especially in the Eastern Conference after Milwaukee and the Boston Celtics made aggressive moves. Another Eastern Conference team could make a move to bring it back to relevancy.

"The New York Knicks are willing to offer a package that includes three key players, with Julius Randle, R.J. Barrett, Evan Fournier and Mitchell Robinson all available in exchange for Joel Embiid," sources told the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey. "A trio from that group would be paired with two or three first-round picks."

It's not an attractive package for last season's MVP, but if Harden were to get his wish and got traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia might not have a choice and find a deal that could get it the most draft picks and have new head coach Nick Nurse work things out with a makeshift roster.

The Celtics would benefit from Philadelphia blowing things up since that would mean one less competitor in the postseason. And if the Knicks did acquire Embiid, that wouldn't nearly be enough to compete with Boston or Milwaukee.

Boston might also benefit from less attention on itself with New York media in a frenzy over Embiid.

To be clear, Embiid expressed his loyalty to Philadelphia amid the Harden ordeal, but things also can change at the drop of a hat in the NBA. And teams like the Knicks are ready to pounce on the opportunity.