Philadephia’s championship dreams start with Joel Embiid being an unparalleled dominant force in the paint.

Which is why the 76ers have locked him up for the next five years. In a move widely expected, the 76ers agreed to a three-year, $192.9 million max contract extension, locking him in with the 76ers for five years at a total of $299.5 million. Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the story and minutes later the 76ers confirmed it, making it official.

“I started a Sixer and want to be right here for the rest of my career,” Embiid said in a statement released announcing the signing. “I had no idea when I was drafted as a 20-year-old kid from Cameroon how lucky I was to be in Philadelphia. Through all the ups and downs, this city and the fans have been everything, and I am so grateful for how they’ve embraced me. I want to thank Josh, David, and the entire organization. Philadelphia is home and it’s time to bring this community an NBA championship.”

The 76ers took a step toward that championship with the biggest move of the offseason, landing Paul George as a free agent wing. He, along with Embiid and point guard Tyrese Maxey, form arguably the best “big three” in the NBA right now. 76ers GM Daryl Morey did as good a job as possible surrounding that trio with solid role players — Eric Gordon, Caleb Martin, Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, Kyle Lowry and others — to give Philadephia a shot at knocking off Boston in the East and playing for a ring.

All of it — both the hopes for this season and the contract extension — is a bet on Embiid’s health at age 30. He played in just 39 games last season and returned from meniscus surgery on his left knee — an injury Embiid said took a mental toll on him — in time for the playoffs, where he played well against the Knicks (but it wasn’t enough to earn the 76ers the series win). Embiid has a history of injuries, some fluky (elbows fracturing the orbital bone in his face) and some concerning with his knees and lower body. Embiid played in 66 games in his MVP 2022-23 campaign, and 68 the season before that, the most ever in his career. However, for the five seasons before that he played fewer than 65 games (the current league-mandated cutoff for postseason awards).

When healthy, Embiid is arguably the most dominant player in the league, a two-way force who averaged 34.7 points and 11 rebounds a game last season, shooting 55.6% on two-pointers and 38.8% from beyond the arc (on 3.6 attempts a game). The 76ers need that Embiid to chase their championship dreams, but it leaves coach Nick Nurse (and, by extension, Embiid) with a question: Is it worth it to miss some regular season games for load management, possibly missing out on postseason awards, for him to be healthy for a playoff run? At this point in his career, is that kind of outlook the one the 76ers have to take?

For those wanting the details on his new contract, friend of the site Keith Smith breaks it down.