Getty James Harden, Tyrese Maxey
The Philadelphia 76ers understandably don’t want to simply get rid of James Harden. They want to make a trade that will help them stay among the best teams in the league. Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley proposed a three-way trade that would do just that, though it would cost more than just Harden.
In an August 9 story on “teams that should risk a Damian Lillard trade,” Buckley proposed the following deal between the Sixers, Portland Trail Blazers (Lillard’s current team) and Los Angeles Clippers.
Sixers receive: Damian Lillard
Clippers receive: Harden
Trail Blazers receive: Tyrese Maxey, Sixers’ draft assets
In this scenario, Buckley neglected to note that the Clippers would also have to give up players – likely to the Trail Blazers – to make the contracts match in a trade for Harden. He did, however, explain how such a deal would improve the Sixers.
“The 1-2 punch of Lillard and [Joel] Embiid would immediately rival the Kevin Durant-Devin Booker combo as the league’s top-scoring tandem,” Buckley wrote. “Tobias Harris could handle a promotion to the No. 3 scoring spot, and coach Nick Nurse could surround that trio with defense-first role players like P.J. Tucker and De’Anthony Melton. Health permitting, that looks like a championship-caliber lineup.”
Buckley added that upgrading from Harden to Lillard, a 33-year-old superstar who has requested a trade from the Blazers, would make the prospect of losing Maxey easier to accept.
“Losing Maxey would sting, but upgrading from Harden, who has a horrific track record in major playoff moments, to Lillard, who has delivered a couple of the most clutch postseason buckets in recent memory, would justify the sacrifice,” Buckley wrote.
Lillard, who is entering the third year in a four-year, $176 million deal, requested a trade from the Blazers earlier this summer. However, he specifically requested a trade to the Miami Heat, according to The Athletic.
Sixers, Clippers to Re-Engage James Harden Talks: Report
On August 8, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Clippers and Sixers could rekindle negotiations.
“The Philadelphia 76ers and LA Clippers are expected to engage again in discussions on a Harden trade this offseason, league sources who are involved in the discussions but unauthorized to speak on the matter say,” Charania wrote. “Harden still prefers to be moved, and Philadelphia is working to honor his wish, as 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey recently said.”
The Clippers have been unwilling to meet Philadelphia’s high asking price for Harden and are reluctant to part with “what’s left of their first-round draft capital,” according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix. However, under Buckley’s scenario, getting the Trail Blazers involved in a three-way trade could make a trade for Harden more appealing.
Sixers Planned to Offer James Harden Short-Term Deal
On August 5, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported that the Sixers planned to offer a team-friendly, short-team deal for Harden had he entered free agency.
“To my understanding, the best the Sixers would’ve considered was something along the lines of a two-year deal, which would’ve included a team option, and that type of short-term commitment wasn’t going to appeal to Harden,” Scotto said in a discussion with The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey on “The HoopsHype Podcast.”
Though he wanted to join the Clippers, Scotto explained why Harden decided to opt in.
“Harden knew the team he wanted to go to, the Clippers, and the only way to get there and get his money was to opt in because of their restrictions with the salary cap,” Scotto said. “There’s still been dialogue between the two teams.”