In a negotiation, nobody likes to lose leverage. That’s how you get a bad deal. The same holds true in the NBA. When a team loses leverage, sometimes, they’ve got to trade a player for below their market value.
The Philadelphia 76ers have lost a lot of leverage lately. James Harden just called general manager Daryl Morey a “liar” in public. Meanwhile, Harden is a free agent next summer. Rival GMs know that Morey has to trade Harden – that’s how you lose leverage.
So, there’s an opportunity for rival teams here. They could land Harden at an extremely low cost. In theory, it may be a simple matter of matching contracts. Could the Milwaukee Bucks be the team to make an offer?
The Trade Proposal
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: F/C Bobby Portis, G/F Pat Connaughton, G/F Grayson Allen, G/F MarJon Beauchamp, G/F Malik Beasley
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: G James Harden
With that said, there are other reasons that Harden’s trade value has hit a low point. His calling Morey a liar in public wasn’t good. Unfortunately, his value had already taken a hit. There are concerns with Harden.
He seems to request a trade on a yearly basis. Harden is a massive flight risk. Teams will be apprehensive about acquiring him for that reason. He also plays a very specific brand of basketball. Harden is ball-dominant. He’s a remarkable playmaker, but if teams don’t want to play heliocentric basketball, he’s not always the best option.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers & Milwaukee Bucks Updates
The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokoumnpo seems to be aware of this. A couple of years ago, he made some disparaging comments about Harden. In turn, Harden posed some questions about Antetokoumnpo’s skillset. Could these two rivals really join forces?
Why The Milwaukee Bucks Do The Deal
Sure, there are risks here. There’s a downside. At the same time, let’s be realistic. The Milwaukee Bucks are acquiring James Harden here. Let that sit in for a second. The Milwaukee Bucks…and James Harden.
Would they be the most talented team in the NBA? Probably. Their only competition for that title would be the Phoenix Suns. The Bucks would have two recent MVP winners, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez on their roster. That is patently absurd.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers & Milwaukee Bucks Updates
In other words, it might be a risk they’d have to take. Is it possible that the pieces won’t fit? Sure. On the other hand, the Bucks lost in the first round of last year’s playoffs anyway. If this works, it’ll result in an NBA championship. Can we say the same for the Sixers?
Why The Philadelphia 76ers Do The Deal
This is a tough situation for the Sixers. We almost wrote a Harden-for-Holiday swap. That’s a clean, easy deal that works financially and would have the Bucks upgrading their offense. In the end, we didn’t think Milwaukee would go for it.
That’s exactly the problem here. Nobody is sending the Sixers anything approaching market value for Harden. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid’s presence is looming over everything they do. It’s been widely speculated that Harden’s trade request could portend a similar request from the league’s most recent MVP.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers & Milwaukee Bucks Updates
Perhaps their best bet is to bank on depth. To match Harden’s deal, the Sixers would have to either acquire a comparable player – which isn’t going to happen – or a number of solid players. That’s what they’re getting here. If all goes well, Embiid, Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey will be enough to keep the Sixers relevant. At this point, that’s their only hope.
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