76ers Receive: James Harden, Ben McLemore
Rockets Receive: Joel Embiid, Josh Richardson, 2020 1st Round Pick (via OKC)
It may seem premature to trade James Harden from the Rockets’ perspective since it was just the first season with Russell Westbrook on the mix. Houston would need to determine if they believe Harden will stay long-term after moving on from D’Antoni.
Being able to acquire a player like Joel Embiid by moving on it early could be appealing for the Rockets, to an extent. There wouldn’t be many teams in the Western Conference that would be able to cleanly matchup with Embiid and Houston would still have Westbrook to pair with him.
The Rockets would be able to surround Westbrook and Harden with intriguing pieces like Eric Gordon, Robert Covington, and P.J. Tucker to round out the starting lineup. Having the pick-and-roll connection of Westbrook and Embiid with shooting and wing defenders is intriguing.
The 76ers would benefit because there is already a proven connection between Mike D’Antoni and Harden. Managing to bring them to the much weaker Eastern Conference could provide them with a legitimate pathway to the NBA Finals.
Philadelphia would need to have confidence in their supporting cast around Harden and Ben Simmons after moving Embiid. The 76ers wouldn’t have much flexibility to make additional moves, so they’d need to make the most of their existing personnel.
A lesser benefit for the 76ers is they would be able to better utilize Al Horford as the full-time center — making the contract not as much of an albatross. Additionally, Tobias Harris would be able to slot at the power forward spot as well.
