As the Philadelphia 76ers were in the process of trying to get the right pieces in return for Ben Simmons in a trade, it was obvious their focus was on James Harden.
Team President Daryl Morey waited patiently for the right moment to strike at the 2022 deadline when Harden became available from the Brooklyn Nets. The Sixers sent Simmons, along with other pieces to Brooklyn, in exchange for Harden. The Beard has turned into an elite playmaker while still showing flashes of being that ruthless scorer.
However, there was a rising star on the table in the Simmons trade talks: Tyrese Haliburton.
Per Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports, the Sacramento Kings had Haliburton on the table before they decided to send him to the Indiana Pacers in the Domantas Sabonis deal. The Sixers were focused on Harden:
Harden, at the peak of his powers, is still the devastating scorer that claimed MVP honors under Morey’s previous roster tinkering in Houston and the playmaker Philadelphia brass held out to pair with Joel Embiid during all those months of the 2021-22 season in which Ben Simmons lingered on the trade block.
It didn’t matter that Sacramento, according to league sources, had put future All-Star Tyrese Haliburton on the proverbial table, or the conversations with Atlanta that would have shed Tobias Harris’ contract along with Simmons’ disinterest in sticking around South Philly.
It makes sense why the Sixers waited for The Beard to be available. He still makes a huge impact, and Philadelphia has an opportunity to win big with him and Joel Embiid leading the way.
Haliburton would have been an excellent addition. He can score and make plays for others at a high level, but he isn’t at Harden’s level just yet.
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