Hinkie was always honest that it was about accumating assets (lottery tickets), he admitted that luck was part of the process, but you make luck by accumulating assets (draft picks), not tanking. It's turning Holiday into Noel and Saric and gettng your 2017 1st rd pick back, MCW into the Laker pick, McGee and money into TLC, etc.
Embiid was a calculated risk, he might never recover, but his upside was generational player.
At worst he puts the rebuild back a year (no one else in that draft was going to be more than a solid starter), at best, he is the rebuild.
If Embiid is healthy, trading Noel and Jah for 50 cents on the draft dollar is not a disaster, it's just the way the lottery balls bounce.
They have Embiid, Simmons, Saric, RoCo, Holmes, TJ, TLC, Korkmaz, now they get 5 1st rd picks the next three years (3-4 will be lottery picks).
So whatever they get in trade is gravy.