Getty James Harden
With James Harden still a member of the Philadelphia 76ers and with the Los Angeles Clippers as his team of preference, the Sixers have to think of a deal that could satisfy all parties involved.
Dave Early of Liberty Ballers proposed a trade that would send Harden to the Clippers while also reuniting the Sixers with one of their former players. Early proposed the following trade.
Clippers receive: Harden, P.J. Tucker, Montrezl Harrell
Sixers receive: Robert Covington, Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Terence Mann, 2028 Clippers First-Round Pick (Top-3 protected), 2030 Clippers First-Round Pick (Top-3 protected)
Early explained why the Sixers would agree to this deal.
“In this iteration, a Process Legend, who left with a bad taste in his mouth about some local fickle fans, Robert Covington returns. A Philly native in Marcus Morris comes home. Embiid gets a potential fellow Frenchman to chat with in Nic Batum. And the top prize is Terance Mann, since the Sixers desperately need wing help,” Early wrote.
Covington played for the Sixers from 2014 to 2018, where he would go on to make the NBA’s All-Defense First Team while shooting 36.9% from three during the 2017-18 season.
Early added when a deal would go down should Harrell be included.
“But if we are including Montrezl Harrell (torn ACL) in the deal (which helps make all of the roster spots fit), this type of structure will have to wait until late October,” Early wrote. “For that reason, if the Sixers cannot change Harden’s mind, somewhere between mid-October and mid-November isn’t a bad guess for when a swap might go down.”
Insider Reveals Joel Embiid’s Involvement With FO Decisions
On August 9, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne revealed that Joel Embiid has been involved with the Sixers’ front office decisions.
“He’s in very close communication with Daryl Morey and the front office. He and owner Josh Harris, talking about their plans and strategy for the future, and so their plan is we’ve got cap space after next year. Well, you better do something with that cap space,” Shelburne said.
Shelburne added that the Sixers have Embiid involved because they want to stay more than anything.
“Joel Embiid is very involved with all those discussions going forward with the 76ers, and I think when we talk about this year, it doesn’t necessarily mean at the end of this year, he asks out. It means this year is very important because they gotta get a squad together for the long haul if they want to keep Joel Embiid happy and in the fold. He’s very involved in all of those conversations with that front office.”
Sixers & Clippers to Re-Engage in Trade Discussions: Report
On August 8, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Sixers will start discussions again with the Clippers.
“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. Harden still prefers to be moved, and Philadelphia is working to honor his wish, as 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey recently said,” Charania wrote.
While the Sixers may want to grant Harden’s request, whether they can get what they want from the Clippers remains in question.