“No one is giving up three picks and an A-level player, who may be a B next to Joel, just to get Simmons back”: Sixers beat writer suggests the team might be willing to keep their All-Star until next season to land James Harden

Daryl Morey might be finding it safe to wait for the offseason and get James Harden even at the cost of Joel Embiid’s prime.

January is near the end and Ben Simmons is still with the Philadelphia 76ers. With just over 2 weeks to go for the trade deadline, Philly hasn’t found a good suitor for the point guard who will give them a superstar per se in return.

Eyeing for the likes of Damian Lillard, Jaylen Brown, and Bradley Beal, it’s not likely that they will get someone interested. Almost every team in the NBA would love to have a 6’11 point guard with such all worldly defense in their team, but nobody wants to give Daryl Morey an A-grade player.

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You cannot blame anyone after Simmons’ last Playoffs and his attitude following that. But Sixers’ President of basketball doesn’t seem to be rushing even if it means wasting a year of prime-Joel Embiid.

Morey wants his old friend from Houston, James Harden, back in his team. And he can even see this season off for doing so.

The Sixers might land James Harden next season

Harden will be an unrestricted free agent this off-season after not agreeing to an extension with the Brooklyn Nets. While Morey was unsuccessful in luring the 2018 MVP from the Houston Rockets, he might land his guy this off-season.

“No one is giving up three picks and an A-level player, who may be a B next to Joel, just to get Ben back,” a league source said.

James Harden or bust? Sources indicate the #Sixers are all-in even if it means prolonging the Ben Simmons saga https://t.co/yOPZB4xJPk

— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) January 24, 2022

The 9-time All-Star before the start of the 2021-22 season openly expressed his will to test the free agency for the first time in his career. Having an unvaccinated superstar in Kyrie Irving isn’t helping the Nets’ cause as well.

Kevin Durant, who might be the best player in the league when healthy, will always be a concern fitness-wise after going through major injuries. All this might have made Harden think over his choice that he made last year, choosing the Nets over Daryl Morey and the Sixers.

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He’ll still have a chance to redo what he did. The Nets must act before that to trade him via sign and trade before the 3-time scoring champion leaves for free and joins one of the most dominant bigs of the league in Philadelphia.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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