Daryl Morey Is Going “All-In” With Philadelphia
Being just 2.5 games back from first-place in the Eastern Conference and having Joel Embiid playing at an MVP-level, Daryl Morey and the 76ers’ front-office knew that they had to make a big move at the trade deadline.
They had been holding out hope that they could receive the high-end value they had wanted in a Ben Simmons oriented trade and they got just that with the arrival of James Harden.
Pairing Embiid with Harden instantly makes the 76ers a favorite in the Eastern Conference and they should absolutely be a threat to make the NBA Finals this season, but they traded one liability for another.
Trading Ben Simmons was a “must” for the 76ers this season in order to get the championship value they need around Joel Embiid, however, James Harden brings plenty of baggage of his own with him to Philadelphia.
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The 76ers will be Harden’s third team in as many seasons and it seems like he could wind up quitting on his team at any time. James Harden never seemed to give it his all in Brooklyn after being traded from Houston last season and now, time will tell what occurs in Philly with Joel Embiid and Doc Rivers.
If this does not work and James Harden gets frustrated in Philadelphia, everything will come toppling down for the 76ers as a franchise. This Ben Simmons situation played out way too long and while they ended up with a former league-MVP, there tends to be more question marks surrounding James Harden than there is with Ben Simmons right now!
At least from Brooklyn’s standpoint, they know that Ben Simmons wants to play with them and is happy to get a chance to join a contending franchise where he will matter. James Harden could get mad if the wind blows in Philadelphia one day or if his Philly cheesesteak does not have enough cheese on it.
Harden is such a wild-card right now and while part of the deal is him opting into his massive player option for next season, the 76ers could really run into a problem similar to the Lakers from a cap perspective.
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If this scenario goes terribly wrong for them with James Harden and the 76ers do not win a championship this season, we will be looking at a team that has close to $120M tied down to Harden, Embiid and Harris.
The 76ers will be left with no cap space, no leverage in trade talks and ultimately, they will wind up falling out of contention while other, younger teams in the Eastern Conference rise up to surpass them in the standings, much like we are seeing the rise this season with the Hornets, Bulls and Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.
This is a move that the 76ers had to make at the trade deadline in order to get their MVP-frontrunner in Joel Embiid more help, but man is this a gamble!
