Sixers' Joel Embiid Urges Thunder to Build Around Tony Bradley

A few weeks ago, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid sat back at his house in quarantine and watched his team take on the Chicago Bulls. His replacement for the night was the 23-year-old veteran center, Tony Bradley.

Earlier in the season, Bradley could be seen struggling at times when he was thrown into situations he might not have been ready for, but the young veteran has shown improvements over time.

And during that March 11 matchup against the Bulls, Bradley was fantastic. In 21 minutes of action, Bradley converted all seven of his field-goal attempts, totaling for 14 points. He also collected five rebounds and swatted three shots.

Typically, Embiid isn't one to live-tweet a Sixers game when he's out for the night, but he couldn't help but rave about his teammate's standout performance. Of course, he did it in trolling fashion as well.

That’s it!!! I’ve seen enough. Build around Tony Bradley @sixers
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) March 12, 2021

Embiid jokingly urged the Sixers to build around Tony Bradley and not him. Obviously, the MVP candidate wasn't serious, but he got a valid point across with his tweet as he was pointing out that Bradley deserves more as a player.

He's shown that over the last six games as he started for an injured Embiid. During that mini stretch, Bradley has averaged seven points, and seven rebounds, while hitting on 76-percent of his field-goal attempts.

With his value higher than ever, the Sixers sold him off before the NBA trade deadline went into effect on Thursday. In a three-team deal, the Sixers sent Bradley packing to the rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder. Shortly after the trade was announced, Embiid revisited his tweet from earlier this month and added a more serious caption.

Y’all better do it... He’s the TRUTH!!!!! @okcthunder https://t.co/vlctOjlGU2
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) March 25, 2021

"He's the TRUTH," Embiid wrote in regards to Bradley. While the 76ers do lose a valuable reserve in the deal, Bradley is better off from a personal standpoint. Once Joel Embiid returns to the Sixers lineup in the next week or so, Bradley will be back to the bench and not coming off of it unless another setback occurs or a blowout ensues.

At least with the Thunder, the 23-year-old center will get consistent minutes. As Bradley continues to improve, the Thunder just might listen to Embiid and start looking to build their future with Bradley in the plans.

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