When James Harden demanded a trade from the Houston Rockets, the Philadelphia 76ers quickly emerged as one of the top landing spots . Since he was hired as the team’s president of basketball operations, there was growing speculation that Daryl Morey wanted to bring “The Beard” with him in the City of Brotherly Love. The Rockets and the Sixers have reportedly entered negotiations regarding a blockbuster deal involving Harden but as of now, nothing has materialized as Philadephia remains hesitant to pay Houston’s asking price.
In a Twitter post, Yaron Weitzman of Bleacher Report revealed that the Rockets are only willing to trade “The Beard” to the Sixers if they would give up a package that includes Ben Simmons and three future first-round picks.
“I’m told the Rockets have asked the Sixers for 3 first round picks in addition to Ben Simmons. As many others have reported, the Sixers so far have been unwilling to include Simmons in any proposals.”
It’s hardly surprising why the Rockets are expecting a massive return for Harden. He may have failed to carry them to the NBA Finals and end their years of title drought, but he remains one of the best active players in the league. Since rumors about Harden’s desire to leave had first spread, Houston has been telling everyone in the league that they would only move him for a package that includes an All-Star caliber player, young prospects, and multiple draft selections.
Unfortunately, despite growing calls for them to break up their young superstar duo in the 2020 offseason, the Sixers still haven’t fully given up on Joel Embiid and Simmons. Instead of moving one of them, they continue to do everything they can to surround them with quality players that could help them bring home the Larry O’Brien Trophy next year.
However, things could dramatically change if they struggle early in the 2020-21 NBA season and they finally realize that Embiid and Simmons couldn’t co-exist on the same team. Once that happens, they may finally agree to swap Simmons for Harden before the 2021 trade deadline. Swapping Simmons for Harden could make a lot of sense for the Sixers.
Compared to Simmons, Harden could be a much better fit alongside Embiid. Sharing the court with an elite three-point shooter like Harden would maximize Embiid’s on-court potential and allow him to focus on dominating under the basket.
Meanwhile, moving out of the shadow of Embiid may also be beneficial for Simmons. Being traded to a team where he could potentially be the main guy might speed up his development into a legitimate superstar in the league.