Getty Jrue Holiday
The Philadelphia 76ers may have found a solution to their James Harden problem. After ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on September 27 that former Sixer Jrue Holiday had been traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-way trade for Damian Lillard, among others, PHLY SPORTS’ Kyle Neubeck reported that the Sixers were interested in a reunion with Holliday.
“The Sixers are interested in trying to acquire Jrue Holiday,” Neubeck wrote via his X account. “Will obviously be a robust market for him, but Philadelphia expected to see what it’ll take to re-route him.”
The Sixers are interested in trying to acquire Jrue Holiday, per a source familiar with their thinking.
Will obviously be a robust market for him, but Philadelphia expected to see what it’ll take to re-route him.
Going to record a quick second pod with @DerekBodnerNBA shortly.
Wojnarowski reported that the Trail Blazers are looking to trade Holiday to a contender interested in his services as they continue to focus on getting younger.
It’s not likely that the Sixers would include Tyrese Maxey in the deal – especially since Portland already has talented players who play his position – but a three-way deal could be worked out where the Sixers could trade Harden in exchange for Holiday, where Harden would then go to the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Clippers could send the Trail Blazers expiring contracts and first-round picks.
Given the situation that they’re dealing with, making out of it with Holiday as their main return is quite solid.
Proposed Trade Swaps James Harden for Jrue Holiday
On September 24, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey proposed a trade that would swap Harden for Holiday straight-up between the Sixers and Milwaukee Bucks. While Bailey mostly delved into why Harden would appeal to the Bucks, he gave some detail as to why the Sixers would want Holiday.
“The Sixers’ side of this deal is easier to justify. Holiday isn’t the offensive engine Harden is, but Philadelphia wouldn’t need him to be. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey could collectively fill that role, while Embiid and Holiday would make up one of the game’s best defensive duos.”
Of course, now, that deal can’t be agreed upon with Holiday technically in Portland, but a possible trade could be easier to agree to now that Holiday is on a rebuilding team as opposed to another Eastern Conference contender competing with the Sixers for a title.
Holiday’s addition to the team would allow Maxey to take more of the scoring load while also not having to shoulder the majority of the playmaking load.
James Harden Not Expected to Attend Media Day
With Media Day coming on October 2 and Harden still a Sixer, many wonder if he’ll make it for media day among all the drama. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey revealed in an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio that Harden isn’t expected to attend.
“We know [James Harden] doesn’t want to be there at all”.
@PompeyOnSixers tells @TermineRadio & @JumpShot8 what he’d like to ask Harden if the star guard shows up to camp.
“I don’t expect him to be there. I just don’t,” Pompey said on September 26.
If Harden were to attend, Pompey had some blunt questions to ask him following all the drama that’s happened during the offseason.
“The first thing I want to ask him is, ‘What did Daryl (Morey) lie about? And ‘Why do you want out?’ and things like that,” Pompey said. “I want to know, ‘Did Daryl say something before?’ Also, I want to know, ‘Were you under the impression that you were going to get a huge payday? Did someone make you feel like you were going to get a huge payday?'”