Report: Sixers interested in pursuing James Harden trade with Rockets

The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to pursue a James Harden trade with the Houston Rockets.

The Philadelphia 76ers failed on the floor in the 2019-20 season. Their idea of going big in a league going small did not work and they were swept in Round 1 of the playoffs.

A season such as the one that just transpired brings change to any organization and the Sixers so far are making wholesale changes.

First came Doc Rivers to be the new coach followed by a flurry of moves to the coaching staff and the front office before the big move of bringing in Daryl Morey as their new President of Basketball Operations. Morey is a guy who has a history of making big trades to improve his teams and that is what is expected to come in Philadelphia.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and The Stadium reported on Tuesday that the Sixers will have an interest in and will pursue a James Harden trade from Morey’s former team, the Houston Rockets.

Charania:

Philadelphia is expected to be interested in and pursue James Harden, the Rockets star who Daryl Morey has a history with but as well, other teams also expressed interest. As of right now, it is an emphatic no from the Rockets side. It’s really a non-starter for that organization. Daryl Morey though has a history of being active on the trade market pursuing the different opportunities that may exist out there and I wouldn’t expect it to be any different now that he’s in Philadelphia.

It is not surprising to see the Rockets say that it is a non-starter for them right now, but at the same time, Morey has a slew of draft picks that he can offer Houston. Due to Harden being a superstar, the Sixers will also likely have to include one of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Due to Morey’s infatuation with Embiid, this could signal a Simmons for Harden swap with Houston already saying they have no interest there.

Either way, it appears that Morey will be aggressive when it comes to improving this roster around Embiid and/or Simmons. General manager Elton Brand is another guy who has a reputation of making some bold moves so between the two of them, it will be worth keeping an eye on what the Sixes do in the future. [lawrence-related id=38811,38807,38804]