The Philadelphia 76ers got a huge victory on Wednesday when James Harden declined his player option for the 2022-23 season. While on the outside, that may look as if he is entering free agency, he is actually giving the Sixers much more financial flexibility in order to add to the roster.
At this point, the Sixers have the money to bring in P.J. Tucker once free agency opens at 6 p.m. EDT on Thursday, but they might not be done making moves just yet.
Tobias Harris has been a popular name on the trade market for Philadelphia and it appears that the Sixers are not done yet shopping the versatile forward before free agency hits. The goal is to build the right roster around Harden and Joel Embiid in order for the Sixers to be in the mix with the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat, and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on “Get Up”:
I don’t think Philly will be done. We are hearing a lot about Tobias Harris in the trade market, so even after Philly looks at addressing some holes in free agency that this new contract from Harden opens, it wouldn’t surprise me if they look to do more work on their roster to build more around Harden and Embiid.
"I don't think Philly will be done. We are hearing a lot about Tobias Harris on the trade market."
— Brian Windhorst on other moves the Sixers could move after extending James Harden#NBATwitter #PhilaUnite pic.twitter.com/O0yzzopsFH
— 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣’ 𝙉𝘽𝘼 (@_Talkin_NBA) June 30, 2022
This is obviously not the first time Harris has been involved in trade rumors. Philadelphia has been shopping the veteran forward for a bit to try and find an upgrade there, but it will be tough to do so. On one hand, his contract is still tough to really move, but he had a terrific end to the season and a solid playoff run after the Harden addition so it would be tough to find the right fit.
With free agency set to open on Thursday night, all eyes will be on Daryl Morey and the Sixers to see what they do with Harris before the market opens.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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