The Philadelphia 76ers are prepared to make Joel Embiid the cornerstone of their franchise after agreeing a five-year, $148 million max extension with the big man.There were doubts over whether the Sixers would take a massive financial gamble on a player who has only played 31 games in the NBA.Embiid's career has been disrupted by injuries since he was selected with the third overall pick 2014 but he showed his talent last season.Despite the short amount of games, the center was a dominant figure on the court as he averaged 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game on a minutes restriction.Heading into this campaign, the 23-year-old's health is still a concern as he's yet to play in a pre-season game and is doubtful to play in their opening night encounter against the Washington Wizards next week.But for Philly, they believe it's a risk worth taking as the seven-footer has the ability to become the best big man in the game if he stays fit and healthy.For a team that has been languishing in mediocrity for a number of years, they can't afford to lose a player of his calibre.The news will also go down well with 76ers fans who have developed a real love for Embiid both on and off the court.The Philadelphia faithful flocked to the Wells Fargo Center to watch him in action last season and the team even sold out some of the games he was involved in.Unsurprisingly, though, nobody is happier with the news than 'The Process' himself.The Cameroonian's reaction to the new deal was shared by the Memphis Grizzlies' Chandler Parsons who posted a screenshot of a FaceTime conversation with Embiid to Instagram.

It showed an image of the Sixers star looking extremely thrilled and, of course, it was accompanied by the money bags emojis.

As well as Embiid and Philly fans, his teammates are also delighted to see him sign the huge deal and commit his future to the City of Brotherly Love.

“He deserves it. I’m really happy for him," said Jahlil Okafor. "It wasn’t a surprise to me. You’ve seen how good of a player he is. He’s an even better person.”

Guard Nik Stauskas added: “Very well-deserved. Obviously, there are going to be people who question it just because he hasn’t played that many games.

"But for us to see him in practice and saw him over those [31] games he played last year, if he’s able to stay healthy, I think he’s worth every single penny.”

The Sixers are believed to have included several protections in the deal if Embiid continues to struggle with injuries over the next five years.

But he is a superstar in the making and they had no choice but to roll the dice on this one.