As the Philadelphia 76ers move forward with the trade deadline and their pursuit of Brooklyn Nets star James Harden, they only have a few days to get something done before Thursday’s deadline.
They want to bring Harden in and team him up with Joel Embiid who is having an MVP season in order to put the Sixers in a better position to contend for a title. With Ben Simmons looking like he is more than willing to sacrifice his salary to sit out the entire season, the Sixers need to look elsewhere to help Embiid.
The latest update in the Harden sweepstakes is that the Nets told the Sixers that they are not trading The Beard. However, people close to Harden believe his heart is set on Philadelphia and reuniting with president Daryl Morey so whether that happens at the deadline or in the offseason, it seems inevitable.
Per Kevin O’Connor at The Ringer, the Sixers will likely move Danny Green in any potential Harden deals instead of a young player like Tyrese Maxey or Matisse Thybulle:
In a Harden-for-Simmons deal, Philly would need to add about $2.5 million or more in salary to make it a valid trade. But I’m told someone like Danny Green is more likely to be included than one of Philly’s young players.
Sources say Maxey is totally off the table. He’s only 21, and is averaging 16.9 points and 4.8 assists per game in the second year of his career. He hustles on defense, is selfless and clutch, and does wild things like hitting layups while falling horizontally out of bounds. He can drain shots off the dribble and now he’s comfortably making 3s.
This makes sense on all accounts. Green is still a very important piece for the Sixers, but if they can get Harden in any potential deal, they have to pull the trigger on it and include Green. Maxey has too much star potential while Thybulle is their best perimeter defender. It would be too much to include any of those players in a deal.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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