NBA Trade Rumours: Why The Houston Rockets Should Trade James Harden To The Philadelphia 76ers In Exchange For Joel Embiid.

After another failed attempt at making the NBA finals, the Houston Rockets are in a tight predicament in deciding what needs to be done for their future. From Dwight Howard to Russell Westbrook, the Rockets have been essentially bouncing from star to star in hopes of bringing Harden some needed help. However, every star that Houston received over the past few seasons was not enough to compete with the Golden State Warriors or the Oklahoma City Thunder. The only time the Rockets had an actual chase at making the NBA finals was in 2018, where James Harden became the MVP of the league while only being a game away from potentially winning his first championship. Despite all the attempts that Houston made over the years, it appears that the James Harden era could come to an end, considering that both Mike D’Antoni and Darryl Morrey have both stepped down as head coach and general manager. With the Rockets potentially already losing two crucial pieces for their success, this could be the beginning of a new era for Houston. Although Harden has become the second-best player to ever play for Houston behind Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, his championship endeavours will never be granted to him if he stays in Houston. With Harden already being 30 years old, here is why Houston should trade James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Joel Embiid! 

The Philadelphia 76ers are ironically in a similar situation to Houston when factoring in their playoff failures. Like Houston, Philadelphia, over the last three seasons, have had great talent to make it to the NBA finals but would face obstacles such as chemistry, injuries, and below-average coaching. However, both Houston and Philadelphia’s biggest failure has been suffering over the last few seasons, believing that their “best” player can take their team to the NBA finals. The reality is, both Harden and Embiid need a different scenery, and even though they have done incredible things on their teams, they are both the sole reason as to why their team has failed to improve. They are the best players on their team, but that does not mean that they are the best for their team’s success. Whether it is the “process” or the “beard”, both these slogans have been the biggest downfall to their teams chances at making it far in the playoffs. Even though both Harden and Embiid have done the best they could over the last few seasons, a dramatic change needs to happen if both organizations want a better future.

The Philadelphia 76ers are in a better situation than Houston as they have better players and a better situation than Houston. Despite their lacklustre season, the 76ers have a bright future in Ben Simmons, a player that could be the key to their winning identity. The duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid has failed, and even though they are still young, the 76ers need to decide on who the “process” should be! While Embiid is, for now, the better player, Simmons is Philadelphia’s future as his production has more of an upside than Embiid’s. The only issue is, the 76ers have failed to build an appropriate team around Simmons and need a roster that consists of players with great shooting. With James Harden potentially being available for trade depending on what direction Houston wants to head towards, the 76ers could swoop in and offer Joel Embiid, Josh Richardson, and a future first and second-round pick in the 2021 NBA draft! This grants Philadelphia the best offensive player in the NBA that can create his own shot while changing the identity of the 76ers organization. However, Harden would have to change the way he plays basketball as he would need to play more off the ball to grant Philadelphia success. Ben Simmons is one of the best playmakers in the NBA, meaning that Harden would need to rely more on his team rather than himself. He may lose his scoring titles, but his dream of winning a championship could become a reality. Furthermore, the 76ers would become a more relaxed team on the offensive end as they would have a starting five of Ben Simmons, James Harden, Matisse Thybal, Tobias Harris, and Al Horford! 

The Philadelphia 76ers will become the best team in the Eastern Conference with James Harden if he plays more off the ball. The style of play that Harden has exhibited during his time in Houston has been a great failure, hence why he needs to learn that isolation basketball will never win championships! However, the Houston Rockets would be in a completely different predicament as they would head towards a minor rebuild surrounding Joel Embiid. Houston’s pieces will not work for Joel Embiid as he needs playmakers and shooters to be successful. Even though Russell Westbrook averages the most assists on his team, both Embiid and Westbrook’s history could clash in the locker room. As a result, the Rockets would need to trade Russell Westbrook for either an All-Star or depth. Furthermore, Houston also needs to trade their big contracts to attract future free agents or trade for All-Star calibre players. Houston at first would become a lottery team during their transformation period, but their patience would grant them greater success in the future. The way the Rockets benefit from this trade is, they would receive a young superstar center in Joel Embiid compared to a 30-year old James Harden while having a cushion to have the quickest rebuild in NBA history! 

Both the Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers need desperate change to get better, whether it would be now or in the future. The reality is, the rosters that both these teams possess will never grant their organizations success, hence why this needs to happen. Harden is in the middle of his prime and needs to be in an organization with the right pieces. However, his success in Philadelphia would depend on his ego, shifting as his playstyle needs to change. Philadelphia has great players, and James Harden would need to trust them and play more as a team. The Houston Rockets also need to have a dramatic shift as they need to realize that they are no longer championship contenders by making this trade. A rebuild needs to happen if Houston wants future success with Joel Embiid. On paper, Houston is a great team. However, the chemistry would plummet as Westbrook and Embiid have a nagging history of not being fond of each other. Houston and Philadelphia may be in different conferences, but they are both in similar situations of needing a desperate change!