Were the Sixers willing to trade Joel Embiid at the deadline?

In his short time in Philadelphia, Sam Hinkie has already become known for his willingness to part with players to acquire future assets, and reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams proved to be no exception, as the point guard was traded at last Thursday's trade deadline.

The Sixers were interested in obtaining another first-round draft pick and accomplished that by sending Carter-Williams to Milwaukee.

More surprising however, is a recent report from Forbes.com that states that the Sixers were willing to discuss moves involving any player on their roster, including prized, yet-to-play lottery pick Joel Embiid.

From Forbes:

"In an unnoticed development at last week's trade deadline, the 76ers were still trying to trade up for a top pick in this draft, indicating a willingness to talk about Joel Embiid or any player on their team, an NBA source told Forbes.com."

The article was written by Mark Heisler, a former beat writer with league connections. Heisler fails to make it explicitly clear if Embiid was identified directly by the source as a player that Sixers were targeting to maybe make a move, or if he just fell under the umbrella of 'any' player.

Follow Michael Kaskey-Blomain on Twitter @therealmikekb