When the Philadelphia 76ers acquired NBA superstar James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets, there was a lot of discussion about how it would impact the rest of the roster. Harden is a high-usage player that would have the ball in his hands now as much as anyone on the team, which would lead to some adjustments having to be made by everyone.
His relationship with Joel Embiid was at the forefront of that discussion, and rightfully so. This team will only go as far as Harden and Embiid can carry it. The player most discussed as being impacted was Tyrese Maxey.
Maxey was coming into his own and learning how to play point guard on the fly. He had never done it previously in his basketball career, but with Harden in the fold, he would no longer have to carry that burden.
Harden would become the main ball-handler, which could make things easier for Maxey as he will be returning to his more comfortable role as a scorer and part-time distributor. He has taken to the adjustment well, but the same cannot be said about Tobias Harris.
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Harris was struggling at first to find his niche with the new-look roster. His shot attempts were down, which was expected, but his efficiency was also waning. He has figured it out a little better in March, but with the price of this roster on the rise, Harris presents a potential problem with his contract.
“It’s not that Tobias is a bad player; far from it,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “But that contract. He’s basically making max-player money as the team’s fourth option behind James, Joel and (Tyrese) Maxey.”
That is a poor allocation of funds and something that Philadelphia’s front office will attempt to address this offseason. Harris was shopped ahead of the deadline, as Daryl Morey attempted to attach him to Ben Simmons in trade negotiations. That ended up not occurring, but the Philadelphia 76ers will likely try and trade him again this offseason.
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Harris has proven he is a capable scorer, as he has been the No. 2 option at times for Philadelphia. But, if he isn’t scoring the ball, it is tough to justify paying him that amount of money, especially since he has been a poor defender throughout the season.
The Philadelphia 76ers may have to attach a draft pick to Tobias Harris to entice a team to trade for him, but it could be worthwhile. There have been rumors of the 76ers looking to land Bradley Beal this offseason and to make that feasible, Harris will have to be on the move.
Parting with assets to make a run at Beal is something any front office in a win-now situation such as the Philadelphia 76ers are in would strongly consider doing.
