(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
The new NBA season is just days away and yet the Philadelphia 76ers haven’t traded James Harden.
Some people might think that’s because they plan to stick with the ten-time All-Star for the new year.
But Adrian Wojnarowski told ESPN, via ClutchPoints, that isn’t the plan.
Instead, Daryl Morey of the Sixers is hoping to “flip” whatever assets he may get from the Los Angeles Clippers into an “All-Star level guard that he could replace James Harden with.”
Wojnarowski repeated a point we have heard many times before: the 76ers want to win now and they are looking to replace Harden with someone who can make that happen.
“Daryl Morey’s motivation is whatever he gets from the Clippers, he wants to be able to flip that for another All-Star level guard that he could replace James Harden with… This thing may be slow going well into the season.”
– @wojespn pic.twitter.com/fkLbG2pH8z
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 13, 2023
Morey is in a very difficult spot because the moves he makes with Harden could impact the future of the team for years to come.
In the short term, he wants to swap Harden with a high-class, A-list player who will work well with the team and help lead it to the Finals.
But in the long term, he wants to keep Joel Embiid happy and ensure that he wishes to remain a member of the Sixers.
If Morey and his staff aren’t able to flip Harden into a terrific player who can find postseason success, Embiid may grow dissatisfied with yet another disappointing year and start to seriously consider leaving.
This trade is about so much more than just getting rid of Harden.
That is one of the reasons why the process has been so slow.
Everyone thought it would be resolved by now but the drama will continue to unfold.
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