Is James Harden Worth it?
On the surface level, this seems like a very dumb question. How could a top 10 player in the NBA pairing up with another top 10 player in Joel Embiid not be worth it?
However, we could look into the past just a couple of years when the Lakers gave up everything for Anthony Davis.
Photo: NBA Analysis Network
While they did win the NBA Championship in their first season, it has been a swift decline since then. This isn’t the first time a team has attempted to give up everything for Harden. It was just last year, the Nets gave up all their assets for the combo guard and ended up losing in the second round of the playoffs.
The 76ers NBA title odds (+2100) are still within the top 10 teams and they remain second to win the Atlantic Division. This is good taking into consideration that having Simmons off the court with no replacement for him yet, still many believe the Sixers’ chances of winning a title are fading.
I am not going to sit here and write that I don’t believe Harden is the answer, he 100% is in terms of not wasting Joel Embiid’s prime.
However, an argument can always be made for not blowing up a team that over the last two years has been 80-43 and is once again looking to have the #1 seed in the east.
For example, the Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks saga back in 2011.
Here is the trade:
The Knicks never made it past the second round of the playoffs, and after a bunch of disappointing years (and Linsanity can never forget about that), it was an ugly exit for Melo in the Big Apple.
This isn’t a not-get Harden article. Instead, it shows how these big blockbusters’ moves end, Championship or bust, meaning an ugly exit for everyone.
As Harden looks to be a part of his second ugly exit? Is he worth a third?
Featured Image: NBA Analysis Network
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