Report: Embiid to undergo surgery Tuesday, foot not covered by 76ers' insurance
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid will undergo bone graft surgery in his foot Tuesday, Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports reports.
The Sixers announced in early July that Embiid will miss the upcoming season as a result of the procedure.
Embiid sat out the 2014-15 campaign after breaking the navicular bone in his right foot. Two screws were placed in his foot to facilitate healing and Embiid eventually got to a point where he was able to practice in a limited capacity without pain.
However, the 21-year-old reportedly re-broke the same bone and will now opt for a more radical bone graft measure - the same procedure Kevin Durant credits for his recovery from a Jones fracture in his foot.
Because Embiid's original right foot injury was a pre-existing condition before he was drafted last summer, it's not covered by the 76ers' insurance policy, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell.
If Embiid's right foot was covered, the team would have received about $5 million back from the league's insurance policy, according to Rovell. Embiid is due $4.6 million this upcoming season. In October, the 76ers can pick up a $4.8-million team option for 2016-17.
Embiid was touted as the top prospect in a star-studded 2014 draft class. The 7-footer boasts a 7-foot-5 wingspan and showed tremendous promise in his freshman campaign with the Kansas Jayhawks, wielding a vast array of fluid post moves, outstanding defensive instincts, and a slick jump shot.
However, Embiid did carry injury concerns. He suffered a stress fracture in his right foot on the eve of the draft and his stock plummeted. Trusting in their process, the Sixers opted to gamble on Embiid with the No. 3 pick.
Thus far, Embiid has failed to appear in a single game for Philadelphia.
Fortunately, the Sixers appear set in the frontcourt, even without Embiid, for the time being. Nerlens Noel submitted a promising rookie campaign in which he flashed signs of growing into an elite rim protector. They also nabbed a dominant low-post scoring center in Jahlil Okafor this summer with the third overall pick.