Report: The Philadelphia 76ers Are Interested In Trading For James Harden. Should Rafael Stone Consider What Philadelphia Has To Offer?

According to an article by Forbes that featured a tweet by Shams Charania, the Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly interested in trading for James Harden. While this was to be speculated as a possibility since Daryl Morey became the head of basketball operations for the 76ers, the idea of James Harden in Philadelphia could be the answer or the breaking point of their championship aspirations. For this trade to become a reality, the 76ers would have to trade one of their young stars in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Even though “The Process” has yet to make a winning appearance in the playoffs, the narrative of splitting the two stars could be premature, especially when factoring in a 31-year-old James Harden! Although Harden is an MVP and a multiple time scoring champion in the NBA, is it worth trading a future star for a player that could start to decline in a matter of seasons? 

The 76ers have been desperately attempting to recreate a winning identity as this organization has had a massive drought in having playoff success. Their best attempt at making it far into the playoffs was when they had Jimmy Butler, the ideal scorer and leader that Philadelphia needed. However, with a lack of direction by the organization, this led Butler to explore other organizations and, as a result, would join the Miami Heat where he would lead them to the NBA finals in just his first stint with the roster! Trading for James Harden could have a similar impact on the 76ers as he is a versatile scorer; but, it would not answer their playoff drought. When looking at Harden’s history in the playoffs, he is an inconsistent scorer who has difficulty producing meaningful numbers when needed most. This is due to the lack of team basketball and more isolation basketball as the Rockets essentially had one game plan, which was to give the basketball to James Harden and hope for the best. Isolation basketball does not win games as this sport is a team sport more than anything else. Houston even proved this theory as they would have more success and fluidity playing as a team rather than Harden being the main star of the show. For the 76ers to be successful, Harden would have to play more off-ball basketball and not isolation basketball. If Harden is willing to sacrifice his highlights for wins, then the 76ers, in theory, would enter championship contention and not a first-round or second-round exit. However, is this a wise trade to do for both organizations? 

Before the start of the 2019-20 NBA season, both the Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers made significant trades or signings in hopes of becoming a legitimate contender in their respective conferences. The 76ers decided to offer two of the largest contracts in the NBA to Al Horford and Tobias Harris while doing a sign and trade with the Miami Heat, where they received Josh Richardson. At the time, many analysts, including Stephen A. Smith, expected greatness from the 76ers this season but instead delivered the title of being the most disappointing organization in the NBA. The Houston Rockets, in comparison, also made a massive trade towards the end of the 2019-20 trade deadline, where they traded Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook. Similarly to the 76ers, the Rockets were also expected to be great this season but instead underperformed as they could not win 50 games! With the number of staff signings that both organizations have managed to accumulate over the last few weeks, roster changes are going to be dramatic as James Harden could be a member of the Philadelphia 76ers at the start of the 2020-21 NBA season! 

Even if the 76ers are interested in James Harden, the salary cap will hinder their chances as both organizations lack any breathing room in completing a trade. With the Rockets having no interest in trading James Harden, it will be difficult for the 76ers to lure the former MVP out of Houston. However, the Houston Rockets should focus on trading Russel Westbrook and other large contracts before considering trading their franchise player. Before pulling the trigger on trading away a player that devoted everything to an organization, the Houston Rockets should explore the rest of the roster before considering this blockbuster trade. The 76ers need to focus more on trading away big contracts before centering a trade offer revolving around either Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons. Until either organization matches these requirements, Daryl Morey and Rafael Stone cab explore a trade centred around James Harden. 

While this is a confirmed report by one of the most acclaimed analysts in the sport, the 76ers are rushing this decision as they have larger responsibilities to focus on. Instead of trading for a superstar, their primary objective should be recreating their roster as the 76ers are still fairly young. However, with the Houston Rockets being much older while having less time forming a team well enough to make the playoffs, they have decent trade pieces outside of James Harden and should explore other options before trading their franchise player! If the 76ers are wise, they should put their interest in James Harden on hold and focus on reconstructing their clustered roster. Regarding Rafael Stone, he should do the same and focus on fixing the Houston Rockets for at least one more season before pulling the trigger on one of the biggest trades in NBA history!