Embiid not focused on recruiting stars: 'I want to be better than those guys'

The Philadelphia 76ers couldn't land any of the big fish available during free agency despite an abundance of cap space and a young team that finished with 52 wins last season.

Instead, they'll enter the year with the same core, led by a healthy and rejuvenated Joel Embiid, who is prepared to take the leap ahead of some of the NBA's top talent.

"When my season ended, there was a lot of talk about adding guys. I literally did not really care because I want to get better," Embiid said, according to Yahoo Sports' Michael Lee. "I want to be better than those guys that were mentioned, if I'm not already better than them. That was my message, just going into the offseason, finally the first one healthy and able to do whatever I want. That was my goal regardless."

Philly was rumored to be a desirable landing spot for LeBron James, whom Embiid attempted to recruit via Twitter. The four-time MVP almost immediately agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Lakers instead, despite admitting he was tempted by the idea of playing beside Embiid and Ben Simmons.

"I thought we had a chance," Embiid added. "I'm a player. I always felt like it's not my job to be in the middle of all that. I don't like to be involved in front-office stuff. I always felt like (LeBron) didn't need my help if he was going to do it. It is whatever. We have a great group of guys. A lot of guys coming back. Last year, we won 52 games. This next year is going to be even much better with the addition of Wilson Chandler. I expect Markelle (Fultz) to be back to himself."

Embiid helped the 76ers secure the 3-seed in the Eastern Conference. He stayed relatively healthy, averaged 22.9 points and 11 boards in 63 games, and competed in his first All-Star Game.