The Philadelphia 76ers were on the shortlist of preferred trade destinations for Houston Rockets superstar James Harden. Can a potential NBA blockbuster deal for the former NBA MVP be completed without involving Ben Simmons?
According to KRON4 News’ Jason Dumas, 76ers President of Basketball Operations is working on a ‘significant move’ to be able to land Harden without giving up Simmons or Joel Embiid.
There should be a significant motivation for Morey to land Harden with the 76ers given he just recently escaped one inner-conference dynasty in the Golden State Warriors. He can’t afford to let the Brooklyn Nets trade for Harden— preventing his team from winning a championship yet again.
Not wanting to include either Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid in a potential trade for Harden is a logical desire for the 76ers to hold. It just seems unlikely to execute without Morey using some serious creativity when considering the team’s bad contracts and lack of premier NBA Draft assets.
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Even if the Philadelphia 76ers needed to involve Embiid or Simmons to get a deal done, they should strongly consider it. There are already concerns with the fit of the two stars on the roster— how would adding an ultra-high usage playmaker make things any better?
The inability for Ben Simmons to convert on catch-and-shoot jumpers will hold him back when fitting with multiple star players— especially when one of those talents is an interior oriented big man like Joel Embiid.
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