The 76ers and Joel Embiid might be in a bit of trouble with the NBA.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday that the league is likely launching an investigation into the 76ers’ handling of former MVP’s “player participation” as he deals with what the team is calling left knee management.
Embiid is expected to miss at least the first three games of the 76ers season, including Wednesday’s season opener in Philadelphia against the Bucks.
The 76ers said in a statement Tuesday that Embiid is “responding well to his individualized plan” and will participate in a scrimmage this week.
He will be re-evaluated over the weekend, the team added.
“He’s practiced, he’s looking good, he’s progressing, he’s not quite ready yet, he’ll be ready pretty soon,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse told reporters on Tuesday.
Sources told ESPN the team is hoping to keep Embiid healthy for the postseason by giving him “periodic time off during the regular season.”
News of the league’s potential investigation comes just days after 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey indicated that he prefers not to play Embiid and Paul George, who will also miss Wednesday’s opener with a knee injury, in back-to-back games.
Embiid echoed the same sentiment, positing that he may never take the court on two straight days again.
“If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career,” Embiid told ESPN.
Embiid was limited to just 39 games last season with knee injuries.
Over the summer, Embiid played an important role for Team USA en route to the gold medal.
Embiid, 30, has dealt with injuries — including meniscus surgery in February — throughout his 10-year NBA career, appearing in 433 of a possible 801 regular season games and missing two full seasons after being drafted No. 3 overall in the 2014 draft.