ESPN's Stephen A. Smith predicts that a James Harden for Ben Simmons trade could happen if the Brooklyn Nets fail to win the championship.
ESPN’s very own Stephen A. Smith suggested on “First Take” the possibility of James Harden leaving the Brooklyn Nets in free agency to join the Philadelphia 76ers. Due to Harden not receiving a contract extension from the Nets, Harden joining the 76ers is possible, especially when factoring in their intention of trading Ben Simmons.
Simmons is currently on one of the biggest contracts in the NBA as he signed an extension in 2019 worth 177.2 million for five years. Simmons is earning roughly 33-40 million dollars a season, a salary that the 76ers desperately need to relieve if they want to sign James Harden. Thankfully, Simmons requested a trade ages ago and will eventually be traded. If the 76ers have intentions of signing Harden in the off-season, they would need to trade Simmons for expiring contracts or follow what Smith said on “First Take”: to sit out Simmons for the rest of the season.
According to Smith, he believes that the 76ers have no pressure in making a Simmons trade and instead should consider sitting out Simmons for the entire season. The purpose of this would be to lure Harden to the 76ers if he no longer has aspirations to re-sign with Brooklyn. Smith revealed that if Harden does not discuss a possible contract extension with the Nets towards the end of the season, the 76ers have the potential to do a complete guard swap.
While this idea by Smith is intriguing, it is unlikely that the 76ers would take this risk as there is no guarantee that Harden will join the 76ers. Suppose if Harden and the Nets fulfill all expectations and win the NBA championship this season? The likelihood of Harden leaving a team that just won a championship is unlikely, as he would most likely want to build a dynasty in Brooklyn. This risk would hinder the 76ers as they are also trying to compete for a championship. The 76ers should trade Simmons for expiring contracts in hopes of potentially signing Harden if the Nets fail to win a championship. The likelihood of Harden joining the 76ers is high as they also have a top ten quality player in Joel Embiid. Despite Harden and Embiid having a brief history of on-court scuffles, they would most likely put their past aside and look towards the future of possibly winning a championship.
The fit of Harden in Philadelphia would be ideal as he is a player that can shoot the basketball. In addition, Harden is a terrific playmaker and would be the floor general that the 76ers were hoping Simmons would have been. A trio of Embiid, Harden and Tobias Harris would become title favourites in the NBA. While this is only speculation and an idea from Stephen A. Smith, is there a possibility that the 76ers could successfully sign Harden instead of trading Simmons for Harden?
The 76ers sitting out Simmons for a year hoping to trade him for Harden is a terrible idea when looking at the amount of risk involved. A better approach in signing Harden would be to trade Simmons for players with expiring contracts that will still help the 76ers being a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference. Players who can shoot the ball and play defence are attributes the 76ers should aim for when trading Simmons away.
The purpose of this would be to demonstrate that they are only a piece away (James Harden) from being a legitimate title contender. Suppose the Nets do not win a championship this season. In that case, Harden could view Philadelphia as a legitimate destination to finish his career. In the 2020-21 season, both Harden and Embiid were in discussions about possibly winning the MVP award. If they become teammates, the 76ers would have the best duo in the NBA!
Closing Thoughts
Smith’s proposed idea of the 76ers potentially trading Simmons for Harden would be great if the element of risk did not exist. If the 76ers want to add Harden to their roster, they would need to trade Simmons for expiring contracts and hope that the Nets do not win a championship this season. Obviously, for a team that is still trying to compete, this is not a feasible option. Instead, the 76ers should look to trade Simmons for a scoring option like CJ McCollum and strive to win an NBA championship with Joel Embiid.