Daryl Morey has a history of playing hardball. Will the James Harden saga playing out with the Philadelphia 76ers be any different?
Almost a week ago, Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden opted in to his contract with the team and formally requested a trade heading into the 2023-24 season.
Since then, which has felt like centuries for NBA fans, little progress has been made. The Los Angeles Clippers, who have long sought a defined playmaker to line up with wing stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, are the so-called leaders in the sweepstakes to land Harden, but it is quickly becoming difficult to call anyone's pursuit — or lack thereof — a sweepstakes for the Sixers guard.
On his most recent podcast episode with John Hollinger, Zach Lowe of ESPN stated that he doesn't believe there's been any serious dialogue between the Clippers and Sixers on a Harden trade. Meanwhile, the Clippers are reluctant to include guards Terrance Mann, Norman Powell, or any draft capital.
Beyond the Clippers, there was initial reported interest by the New York Knicks, but nothing seems to have come of that.
Damian Lillard's formal trade request from the Portland Trail Blazers has certainly played a role in the lack of interest in Harden. Why would you not try to acquire the star Western Conference guard with a five-year contract first?
But what does this mean for the long game, particularly as the free agent market begins to dry up entirely?
NBA rumors: Will 76ers be bullied into less-than-desirable James Harden trade?
The initial answer is easy. Likely, no.
We saw this saga play out only two seasons ago when then-76ers failure Ben Simmons requested a trade following the ire he drew from fans, teammates, and coaches in his collapse against the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Simmons wanted a new home, and Sixers GM Daryl Morey and the franchise wanted to find him one, but not at a discounted price.
Simmons threatened to sit out games, but Morey held firm. The standoff lasted for months and ultimately resulted in a trade for a disgruntled Harden who decided he had had enough of the Brooklyn Nets drama with Kyrie Irving.
Morey's patience was rewarded with the former MVP he had traded for in Houston years prior.
So no, it's unlikely the Sixers will be bullied into a trade for inferior value.
Is the 76ers situation with James Harden really similar to the Ben Simmons ordeal?
Morey should be given the green light to handle this situation in what he deems the best way possible. Landing Harden for Simmons was something beyond comprehension for Sixers fans when the drama began. He's proven his patience is the right play and should be given permission to go that route again.
However, it would be ignorant for Morey to assume he can play this Harden saga the same way he played the Simmons saga.
For starters, Harden is on an expiring after opting into his contract. Sure, Tobias Harris is on an expiring too and you could make the argument that the Sixers could make a cap space play next summer with both of them coming off the books.
But who was the last big free agent the 76ers signed? Al Horford? JJ Redick? Is that a good omen for landing, say, Pascal Siakam next summer? Probably not.
Also, the Simmons saga was two years ago when Joel Embiid was going to turn 28 in the ensuing season. This season, he will turn 30 and is coming off an MVP-winning season. We know Embiid loves Philadelphia and is unlikely to request a trade, but Lillard loves Portland and was unlikely to request a trade too… and we see how that is turning out.
The middle-ground here is that Morey has proven his patience is the right play, and will likely lead to positioning the Sixers well when the next NBA star becomes disgruntled (can we get a real vibe check on Zach Lavine?) but as things currently stand, he cannot in good faith run this up to the 2024 trade deadline like he did with Simmons.
Embiid is a star and has managed to improve in spite of 76ers front office failures season after season. Another season of his narrowing prime cannot be wasted on trade optimization tactics.
The Sixers front office and roster owe Morey patience, and he owes the MVP center a guarantee that a resolution will be found with some swiftness.
