The Houston Rockets are nearing a start to the 2020-21 NBA season with a clearly disgruntled James Harden still on the roster. That likely won’t change but it’s quite possible the recent NBA MVP gets dealt to a new team at some point in the relative near future. Could it be to the Philadelphia 76ers?
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Philadelphia 76ers have made Ben Simmons ‘available’ in some trade scenarios with the Houston Rockets for James Harden. The talks ‘aren’t fluid’ as of now.
The previous narrative surrounding the 76ers potentially trading for Harden was an unwillingness to include either Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid in a potential deal. Embiid’s name hasn’t come up at all, but Simmons appears to be the star that would be on the move.
With the connection that 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey has with Harden, it seems most likely Philadelphia would be the one to pull off a deal. Especially when considering the Sixers are on Harden’s preferred destinations list and actually have an intriguing star to offer.
The idea of pairing James Harden and Joel Embiid together is fascinating to think about. The NBA is heavily predicated on pick-and-roll play and that duo would be the game’s most tantalizing duo in such situations aside from only LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
It’s clear the best outcome for the Houston Rockets is to simply rebuild despite having one of the NBA’s best players. The culture of the organization has surpassed a point of no return and that’s large in part due to the team’s enabling of James Harden’s antics.
In the Eastern Conference, it’s worthwhile for the Philadelphia 76ers to take the risk on acquiring a player like James Harden. It’s clear that Daryl Morey would know what he’s getting into and the production on the court for a team in contention can justify it.
