The 76ers Acquire James Harden - But At What Cost?

After growing belief earlier today that Harden would stay put with the Brooklyn Nets leading up to Thursday’s deadline, Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers have acquired Joel Embiid a new sidekick

For the first time in eight months since the Sixers collapse in the second round to the Atlanta Hawks – the organization and their fans can finally exhale.

The long-standing Ben Simmons holdout – officially over as of today.

The persisting trade rumors involving the team maybe getting Bradley Beal or Damian Lillard at some point – silenced as well.

The Sixers finally have their man, and it’s James Harden. Acquiring the nine-time All-Star and former MVP from the Brooklyn Nets, as well as veteran Paul Millsap, in exchange for Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first round picks.

Make no mistake – this is a statement move from the Sixers front office. Fully cognizant of the type of MVP caliber season Embiid is currently having, and refusing to stand by and let it potentially go to waste like I was concerned about heading up until this massive deal.

They know they must win now, and getting Harden exponentially increases their chances to finally grab a title (or multiple titles). Especially when you consider that they are getting Harden from a should-be conference heavyweight in the Nets once Durant returns from injury (and we will wait to see if Kyrie can play more games with covid restrictions easing up recently). They will still have to go through either the Nets and Milwaukee Bucks if someone doesn’t take them out of the playoffs for them first, but having Harden alongside Embiid gives them the formidable duo they need to compete with those types of teams.

Now, you can expect the Sixers are going to work the pick and roll to death with these two and have defenses pick their poison. Both players also excel at getting foul calls while shooting (Harden especially has mastered this “art” over the years). From an offensive standpoint, this move opens a whole new world of possibilities. Defensively, Embiid is an anchor, while Harden remains a huge question mark. He’s had spurts where he’s been engaged on this end, but at this point it’s fair to assume his defense will come and go.

In terms of what the Sixers are losing in this deal – let’s be fair, it’s substantial. Drummond is a rebounding monster and solid backup, and the Sixers front court gets super thin with his departure when you start seeing names like Paul Reed and Charles Bassey. At the age of 37, Millsap can’t be relied on too heavily to play meaningful minutes. Even more importantly however, losing Curry is a huge blow. Since he became a starter for the Sixers, he has been a relatively consistent contributor on offense, and by far the team’s most dangerous three-point threat (shooting 40% for the season so far). Now with him gone, you’re asking guys like Danny Green (who is more streaky at this point of his career than ever before) and Furkan Korkmaz (also very hot and cold) to pick up the slack in that regard. Maybe Tobias Harris starts shooting more threes? In terms of the perimeter shooting department, the Sixers are going to have to get creative with that.

And let’s not forget about those two first round picks. The unprotected first rounder should be in the 20’s so that’s not a huge loss (although diamonds in the rough have been discovered in that range, just ask the Sixers’ Matisse Thybulle who went 20th overall in 2019), but the protected first in 2027 could be an interesting piece to keep track of moving forward. Because it’s fair to say the Sixers will look completely different five years from now and that pick could be a valuable piece to Brooklyn.

To put things simply, this is Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey pushing his chips “all-in”. Reuniting with Harden after seeing him blossom into a star when Morey was General Manager of the Houston Rockets. Taking a huge leap of faith that when Harden’s contract expires at the end of this season, that he will be able to sign him to a long-term extension. And not only that, start showing up in shape, engaged, and wanting to stay around for the long haul. None of those are given. Not by a long shot. But this is Morey putting stock in his relationship with the crafty southpaw and showing him loyalty, and hoping Harden gives him loyalty back.

In my opinion, I think the Sixers gave up too much, but if this trade means that they get an NBA Finals appearance out of this year at the very least, then it’ll all be worth it. What they can’t afford is another second-round meltdown like we saw last year. Now, the pressure and spotlight are squarely on this squad. Will they embrace it and rise to the massive expectations placed on them after this trade? Can Harden prove himself in the playoffs after several disappearing acts in previous years? Can the Sixers patchwork enough perimeter shooting together amongst the players mentioned for this to work?

There’s a lot of moving questions and moving parts here. And the Sixers have roughly two months to figure it out for another playoff push.

Which makes them, in my opinion, the most fascinating team in the NBA to watch from this point forward.