Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid's Final Three Contract Years Are Guaranteed

With the shortened NBA regular season, Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid will now have his minutes-played bonus prorated, according to a report from ESPN. As the NBA and NBAPA finalized an agreement to prorate performance bonuses and incentives, Embiid might've benefitted the most.

Now, the Sixers' All-Star center will have the final three years of his current contract guaranteed. Over that time, Embiid will see nearly $95 million of his $148 million max contract, which he signed back in 2017.

At the time of the signing, the Sixers were confident in Embiid's skillset and viewed him as one of the faces of the franchise. However, there were some reservations. As Embiid came into the NBA planning to miss his entire rookie season due to a foot injury, his durability remained a question mark early on in his career.

The Sixers' three-time All-Star didn't play a single minute of regular season NBA action until 2016 after being drafted two years prior. And by the time Embiid debuted, his first season in the NBA lasted just 31 games. Since then, Embiid has managed to play in at least 60 regular-season games (excluding the short season this year), but he's still had his fair share of injuries throughout.

Fortunately, none of his setbacks were severe enough to end his season once again. While Embiid's durability is still somewhat of an issue, the 76ers have accepted the fact that he's going to miss games every season as that has just become the reality of the situation. However, the All-Star big man has proven to be worth every penny when healthy. Therefore, the Sixers won't have any issue forking over his guarantees over the next three years as Embiid continues to fight for a championship.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_