James Harden wants to get out of the Houston Rockets as soon as possible. He skipped the first two days of practice to party with Lil’ Baby in Las Vegas and Atlanta and has made it clear that he wants to be traded.
There are countless teams around the NBA that would die for having a player like Harden in their ranks. Then again, the Rockets have no obligation or rush to trade him whatsoever, so only the one who’s willing to take their offer up a notch has a legit shot to get him.
That’s why Harden is unlikely to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets as he originally wished. Now, however, he’s reportedly told the Rockets that he’d be open to a move to the Philadelphia 76ers to reunite with former General Manager Daryl Morey.
James Harden To The Philadelphia 76ers: Trade Package
Obviously, Morey would love to have Harden back under his wing, but getting him to the City of Brotherly Love is quite a tricky – although not impossible – task. Needless to say, they’d have to break up their star core of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons for the Rockets to at least consider their offer.
But, should Morey offer Ben Simmons along with young players like Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle as well as two future first-round picks, it’s likely that they could get both James Harden and PJ Tucker as well as a future second-round pick in return.
This way, the Rockets would still be able to compete for many years to come with two outstanding defenders like Simmons and Thybulle while adding an intriguing young gunner in Maxey. Obviously, that Simmons-Wall duo in the backcourt will need some time to adjust, but perhaps Ben would be better off playing at the four with JohnWall running the offense.
Philly, on the other hand, would have a player that fits better next to Joel Embiid in James Harden while also adding another top-notch and versatile defender in PJ Tucker. That’s the biggest win-win scenario we can think of.
