The Dallas Mavericks have been floated as a possible Joel Embiid landing spot if the Philadelphia 76ers decide to move in a new direction under new GM Mike Gansey. That idea gained traction Monday, June 8, when Forty Eight Minutes reported that one front office member brought up Dallas as a suitor.
The report comes as Philadelphia’s next step is being framed around retooling, not just reshaping the roster. According to the same report, if the Sixers move on from Embiid, they would likely build around Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, with Chris Cenac Jr. viewed as a prospect who could help sell patience to the fan base.
That matters because Embiid is still producing at an elite level when he plays. In 2025-26, he averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 38 games, while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 85.4 percent from the line.
His contract is just as important as his production. Embiid is set to begin the first year of a three-year, $188 million deal that includes a player option in the final season, which makes any trade conversation a major financial and basketball decision.
Dallas has a reason to at least be mentioned in that type of discussion. The Mavericks’ current roster is built around Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively II, but their frontcourt structure would change dramatically if they ever had a chance to pair Embiid with that group.
The reported logic behind Dallas is tied to the organization’s use of the NBA’s disabled player insurance under new ownership. That could matter in a scenario where a high-salary star with an extensive injury history becomes available and a team wants to manage risk more aggressively.
For Philadelphia, any Embiid trade would almost certainly be about the total package, not just the headline name. Cenac has been described as a high-upside project and, in one front office view, a player who could be sold as part of a multi-year tank or retool, which fits a rebuild timeline better than a pure star chase.
