Joel Embiid is still working his way back to his MVP-level form, but the Philadelphia 76ers have thrived early in the season, sitting atop the Eastern Conference with a 4-0 record thanks to the strong backcourt play of Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe.Despite the team’s hot start, with Embiid playing only three of those four games and averaging just 21.0 minutes per game, former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins claimed that the 76ers’ front office may already be discussing the possibility of moving on from their franchise center.So far this season, Embiid is averaging 16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game."I'm pretty sure the front office is having talks about... closing this door moving forward,” Cousins said on “Run It Back” on Tuesday.While Joel Embiid remains a superstar, his massive contract could complicate any potential trade. He’s earning $55.2 million this season and still has three years and $188.2 million left on his deal, with a player option in the 2028-29 season, when he’ll be 34 years old.Embiid’s injury history also remains a major concern, particularly his knee. He was limited to just 19 games in the 2024-25 season after multiple setbacks, ending his campaign with arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in April, just a year after undergoing surgery to repair a meniscus tear in the same knee.Joel Embiid’s former teammate drops bombshell on his work ethicWhen healthy, Joel Embiid is one of the league’s most dominant players, averaging over 30 points and 10 rebounds per game in three of the past five seasons.However, Marcus Morris, who played alongside Embiid during the 2023–24 season, suggested the big man’s off-court work habits don’t always match his on-court production.“Embiid is a great player,” Morris said. “I just think, over time … just seeing some of the things that I’ve seen, just coming from different teams and seeing people at that level work as hard as they did, but not really seeing Embiid do the same, kind of threw me off.”Morris added that Embiid’s talent often compensates for his lack of preparation.“(When) he had 70 last year, he did not warm up. Literally, he did not warm up. He might have came in 22 minutes before the game started and went for 70.”That remark referred to Embiid’s historic 70-point performance in January 2024, when he shot 24-for-41 and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.The 76ers will look to keep their perfect record intact when they face the Boston Celtics in an NBA Cup matchup on Friday.