Joel Embiid Really Wants the 76ers to Trade Up for Markelle Fultz

Joel Embiid suggested the 76ers should trade up for Washington point guard Markelle Fultz, and Philly fans are losing their minds over it.

June 17, 2017

It's not often you see the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft offered up to trade suitors, but if you believe the rumors flying around, the Philadelphia 76ers are pretty close to closing a deal with the Boston Celtics that would earn them the top pick in the draft. The assumption is that they're trying to move up in order to draft Markelle Fultz, considered by most draft experts to be the clear-cut best player in the class.

Consider Fultz's potential future teammate, Sixers center Joel Embiid, one of those so-called experts. While hanging out at Philly's practice facility with teammate Dario Saric, Embiid decided to snap a picture of the locker that had been prepared for Fultz's workout with the team on Saturday.

Embiid, who already has the city of Philadelphia in the palm of his hand, prompted a swift reaction from his hometown fans, who are about ready to line up and start purchasing their Fultz jerseys already. They are 100 percent down with the game plan their fearless leader is laying out.

Meanwhile, in Boston, fans are a little more tense about the whole thing. Turns out, they're not really all that thrilled about sacrificing the top pick in the draft!

This all comes attached to a very important caveat—the deal still has to actually be completed. Embiid's hopes and dreams don't mean much if Bryan Colangelo and Danny Ainge can't agree on a price. If you believe The Vertical's Adrian Wojanarowski, though, it appears the two GMs are simply hashing things out, and will ultimately settle on a final price.

Even if the proposed trade doesn't go down, never stop being you, Joel. He has a flair for the dramatic and is happy to let the fans bask in breaking news along with him, and we're all better off because of it.

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