Will Joel Embiid be forced into an early retirement?

The Philadelphia 76ers might be preparing for the unfortunate inevitability of Joel Embiid retiring from the sport prematurely.

According to NBA insider Brett Siegel, Embiid is unlikely to be ready for training camp as he recovers from his second meniscus surgery in less than 18 months, raising concerns about his future in the league.

"Embiid has struggled getting back on the court this offseason, and there is a growing concern that he will not be ready for the start of training camp, league sources told ClutchPoints....The common word associated with Embiid and his health this offseason is that things are 'bad.'"

The report added that while the 76ers expect Embiid to "return to MVP form," others around the NBA do not share the same optimism due to the setbacks in his recovery. Furthermore, an anonymous medical expert is unsure whether Embiid's knee problems are "actually repairable" following multiple surgeries to the same area.

Embiid himself sounded the alarm bells in a recent interview with ESPN's Dotun Akintoye, when he spoke candidly about reevaluating his life choices and dealing with pain every single day of his career.

Subsequently, 76ers insider Keith Pompey suggested that Embiid may be coming to terms with the possibility of early retirement. 

"I think Joel may know that the end is near, and this is just me saying, and it's kind of like explaining to people what he's been going through," Pompey told Sirius XM NBA Radio. "Because rarely do you have a guy tell you how much pain [they're in] and how much they're going through."

If Embiid, 31, does retire prematurely, he'll join a host of former All-Stars who were forced to quit the sport because of injuries, including Brandon Roy (28), Andrew Bynum (26), Yao Ming (30) and Chris Bosh (33). Even the late, great Bill Walton was unable to regain his MVP form after undergoing various foot surgeries in his 20s.