Should the Sixers Trade for James Harden?
Written by Brandon Apter
The Philadelphia 76ers have undergone a facelift in the offseason.
They have traded Josh Richardson and Al Horford and acquired Danny Green, Seth Curry, and Terrance Ferguson.
Additionally, they added Tyrese Maxey, Isaiah Joe, and Paul Reed through the draft.
Their roster looks a lot more competitive than it did after their exit from the bubble playoffs, but could another big change be in store for Daryl Morey and company?
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There had been plenty of speculation about a possible James Harden trade to Philadelphia, but those talks got quiet after the Sixers made moves on draft day. Things have gotten a bit more interesting, though. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim McMahon, the Rockets star would be open to a trade to the Sixers or other contending teams. The report states that there have been no substantive talks between the Rockets and Sixers at this point.
Harden has yet to report to Rockets camp, missing individual workouts and the start of team workouts after a video showed him partying at strip clubs in Las Vegas and being out and about otherwise. His image is not at its height right now, but that doesn’t take away from him being one of the most prolific scorers the NBA has ever seen. Also, Daryl Morey has been insistent on keeping both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, which would make a deal all the more difficult to execute.
So, should the Sixers be interested in a trade for Harden despite his latest developments off the court?
Let’s examine both sides of this.
Yes
The fact of the matter is that this is James Harden we are talking about. The guy has averaged over 25 points throughout his career, made eight straight All-Star teams, and has put up over 30 points a game on average in each of the last three seasons. He was the league MVP in 2017-18, has made the All-NBA First team each of the last six seasons, is fifth all-time in three-pointers made, fourth among active players in free throw attempts, is 11th all-time in points per game (25.2), and the list goes on and on.
There’s no question that acquiring James Harden would make the Sixers an automatic title contender, even if you have to part with Ben Simmons to do so.
The two-man game between Harden and Embiid is something dreams are made of and it would frustrate other teams how many times these guys would go to the line to score points. It wouldn’t be a pretty offense, but it would be very efficient. We’ve all become attached to Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, but if the goal of the organization is to bring a championship to Philadelphia, James Harden provides that talent more so than Ben Simmons does at this point in his career in my opinion.
Despite his contract situation, getting a player like Harden on the Sixers for at least two seasons with a possible third would keep this team’s championship window open wider than it is now.
No
Aside from Harden’s latest on-court antics, the former NBA MVP has not worked well with other stars in recent years. He clashed with Chris Paul. He and Dwight Howard didn’t work. He pushed for a reunion with Russell Westbrook just for Westbrook to be traded for John Wall a season later. Westbrook commented on the poor chemistry and dynamic around the Rockets.
Is this the kind of reputation or leadership you want around Joel Embiid or any of the younger players on the team? Maybe not.
There’s no way the Rockets send a player of Harden’s talent to the Sixers without one of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. It’d likely also take at least two first-round picks and some young players, whether it be Shake Milton, Tyrese Maxey, or Matisse Thybulle. As I mentioned in the yes section of these, we’ve all become very emotionally attached to Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Simply, a championship with both of them here would be much sweeter than one without one of them hereafter all it took to get them.
Finally, Harden could become a free agent following the 2021-22 season. Is it worth sending someone of Ben Simmons’ talent for Harden who could leave after two seasons to join the Nets, a team he’s been speculated to be interested in joining this offseason? Maybe not. You also cannot forget that Harden and the Rockets have not gotten great results in the playoffs.
Harden hasn’t changed his game much to help the other guys on his team in the playoffs, and that could be a problem for the Sixers if a deal were to be made.
Final Verdict
If you put a gun to my head and ask me to decide whether I’d do this trade or not…I would. As much as I love Ben Simmons, we’re talking about James Harden here. Although Harden has come off as a stubborn, entitled, immature brat, I am hungry for a championship. It’s that simple for me in the end no matter how heartbreaking it’d be to see Ben Simmons leave.
While I would certainly do this, I’m not sure Daryl Morey and Elton Brand will. It would be reckless to abandon what they put together over the past couple of months to get a superstar that will demand the vast majority of the buckets.
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