James Harden's trade request leaves the Philadelphia 76ers in a tricky position. Here are five players the team could acquire to remain competitive in the East.
James Harden has levied his third trade request in as many years, which leaves the Philadelphia 76ers in a tricky spot. The mandate to contend with Joel Embiid remains intact, but how much longer will Embiid stay content if the Sixers can't deliver a championship roster around him?
Meanwhile, Harden is 33 years old with a lot of NBA miles on his body and one year left on his contract. The odds of Philadelphia getting a comparably talented player in return are, to put it gently, nonexistent. And it's not like Philadelphia can afford the patient Ben Simmons holdout approach, because Harden can actually walk next summer. Simmons had four years left on his deal.
Daryl Morey will take his time and try to manipulate the market in Philadelphia's favor, but odds are Harden gets dealt at some point for a package that will thoroughly underwhelm the fanbase.
Even so, the Sixers can — and presumably will — get quality pieces in return. Even if the package doesn't involve a star of Harden's caliber, here are five players the Sixers can trade for who would keep the team competitive.
No. 5 player 76ers could acquire in Harden trade: Norman Powell
Not the flashiest name, but the Clippers are the favorites to land Harden, primarily because Harden wants to go there. In that case, the Sixers would receive a package of multiple rotation-level players and future picks.
The "centerpiece" of any deal will probably be Norman Powell. While he's not close to Harden's realm in terms of talent, Powell can absolutely help the Sixers win. He averaged 17.0 points on 61.2 TS% last season. His 39.7 percent success rate from 3-point range makes him an instant fit in an offense designed to orbit Embiid with elite shooters.
Powell was on the shortlist for Sixth Man of the Year last season. He'd probably fill a similar role in Philadelphia, nominally coming off the bench but playing 25-30 minutes every night while shouldering a significant chunk of the second unit offense. Another added bonus here: Powell has built-in familiarity with Nick Nurse from their shared time in Toronto.
The primary concern is Powell's lack of assists. He's not much of a creator for others and the Sixers are going to be desperately short on facilitators without Harden. Tyrese Maxey and De'Anthony Melton can score in various ways and Maxey has made strides as a self-creator, but the Sixers don't have any great passers on the roster other than Harden.
No. 4 player 76ers could acquire in Harden trade: Tyler Herro
Tyler Herro's name has seen a lot of buzz lately due to the Damian Lillard rumors. If the Heat strike out on Lillard, Harden feels like a logical — if mildly far-fetched — pivot. Or, if both Lillard and Harden are moved in the same multi-team mega deal, Herro could find his way to the City of Brotherly Love.
A lot of trepidation with Herro starts with his contract: he's set to make $120 million over the next four years. While he's theoretically entering the prime of his career, that's a lot for a player with pretty severe defensive limitations. Herro has solid positional size at 6-foot-5, but he's string-bean skinny with a negative wingspan, so his ability to handle difficult matchups is inherently hamstrung.
That said, the Sixers would find immediate value in Herro's offensive repertoire. Critics will derisively refer to him as a "score-first" guard, but Herro is far more dynamic than your average shot-chucker. He's comfortable with or without the ball, frequently relocating to open space or cutting backdoor for finishes at the rim.
Without Harden, a lot of Philadelphia's offense will run through Joel Embiid at the elbow. While he's no Nikola Jokic, Embiid has become a more willing passer in recent years. He has the ability to find Herro on cuts or curling off screens. Meanwhile, two-man actions with Herro and Embiid would give defenses headaches — especially with another elite volume shooter like Tyrese Maxey spaced on the opposite wing.
Herro doesn't address the Sixers' need for passing, but he's not incapable of probing the middle of the floor and making the simple read. He's comfortable running pick-and-rolls and he could tap into unexplored upside as a primary ball-handler with Philadelphia.
No. 3 player 76ers could acquire in Harden trade: CJ McCollum
The Pelicans have a bounty of trade assets and a core ready to contend. While New Orleans is hardly a destination by NBA franchise standards, Harden could be won over by the star power of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, not to mention the beautiful and culturally rich locale. The Pelicans have all the pieces necessary to win; Harden could push them over the hump.
For the Sixers, any trade would realistically be built around CJ McCollum. There are imminent and unavoidable defensive concerns tied to a McCollum-Maxey backcourt, but the Sixers would have more than enough firepower to rack up wins in the regular season. Plus, players like De'Anthony Melton, Patrick Beverley, and P.J. Tucker (not to mention Joel Embiid) can help fill the gaps.
McCollum has regressed somewhat from his prime days in Portland, but he's still a deadly scorer with an appreciably diverse skill set. He's comfortable moving without the ball or shooting on the move, making him an instant fit with Embiid. Put him in pick-and-rolls and he's comfortable handling the distributive responsibilities of a traditional point guard, something the Sixers will need sans Harden.
The 31-year-old McCollum averaged 20.9 points and 5.7 assists on 54.1 TS% last season. He takes a lot of 3s, he's a better passer than the first two names on the list, and while he's not the most experienced postseason winner, McCollum does have positive leadership traits. He's the president of the player's association and demands respect in the locker room.
No. 2 player 76ers could acquire in Harden trade: Zach LaVine
The Bulls were surprisingly reported as a potential Harden landing spot. While that's a bit curious from Chicago's perspective, Harden would provide a talent upgrade in the backcourt as well as a player who can elevate Chicago's myriad role players on the offensive end.
One would imagine any Bulls trade is centered on Zach LaVine. The Sixers could theoretically ask for DeMar DeRozan instead, but LaVine is the better basketball fit, he's younger, and he's under contract for longer. The four years and roughly $178 million left on LaVine's deal will be viewed as a negative by some, but the Sixers would be wise to value long-term financial commitment after years of roster turnover.
LaVine is better than he gets credit for. The Bulls have struggled to construct a winner around him, but LaVine averaged 24.8 points and 4.2 assists on 60.7 TS% last season. Injuries have been prevalent in the 28-year-old's career of late, but when healthy he's an absolute dynamo. His pull-up shooting, frequent rim pressure, and competence as a playmaker would make him right at home in Nick Nurse's offense.
The Sixers need a proper co-star for Embiid. While Maxey has flashed the potential to one day become that, he's not there yet. LaVine is less limited as a playmaker and would be able to function as Philadelphia's lead ball-handler. The combined shooting and speed of LaVine and Maxey in the backcourt would make the Sixers very challenging to defend. Both have little trouble getting both feet in the paint and both thrive in transition.
Defensive concerns again rear their head, but the Sixers have been running Harden in that backcourt spot for 1.5 years now — it's not like LaVine is a precipitous downgrade.
No. 1 player 76ers could acquire in Harden trade: Jrue Holiday
Very rarely do top-tier contenders in the same conference make foundational trades with one another. The Sixers don't want to help the Bucks' championship pursuit; the Bucks don't want to help Philadelphia out of a tight spot. And yet, there's merit to swapping James Harden and Jrue Holiday.
For the Bucks, Harden alleviates concerns tied to the limited shooting and shot creation in the backcourt. Holiday has developed into a prolific facilitator, but he doesn't shoot a ton of 3s and he can get ice-cold in the playoffs. Harden demands more defensive attention on the perimeter and he draws double teams on every drive to the cup. He's a master set-up artist and he would develop fast pick-and-roll chemistry with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
For the Sixers, it's hard to imagine a better player than Holiday coming over in the Harden trade. The Bucks are clearly panicking after losing in the first round — they even fired Mike Budenholzer, one of the winningest coaches of the last decade. Morey could capitalize and deliver Philadelphia a true star guard in return.
Holiday obviously cannot measure up to Harden offensively, but he's a genuine floor general who can set the table and deliver on-time, on-target passes to his teammates. Philadelphia's roster has precious few good passers; Harden's really the only one. Holiday would fill that void. He averaged 19.3 points and 7.4 assists on 58.6 TS% last season, enough to earn him the second All-Star appearance of his career. He's no scrub.
That said, the primary appeal with Holiday has always been the defense. He might be the best perimeter defender in the entire NBA. His strength at the point of attack is supernatural and his anticipation skills are preternatural. He can mirror ball-handlers of any size and he regularly generates turnovers with his activity level. Given Maxey's small stature and defensive limitations, adding a guard defender like Holiday would be quite helpful.