Will James Harden Be Traded to Philadelphia 76ers? Updated Odds
- Everyone now talks about James Harden coming to the Philadelphia 76ers
- Bookmakers still don’t believe in this transfer
- Daryl Morey came to the Philadelphia 76ers and he’s going to make great deals. What about James Harden?
The Philadelphia 76ers didn't impress anyone with their performance last season. That's why they should be active during the next transfer window. Daryl Morey is planning dramatic roster changes to make the Philadelphia 76ers one of the NBA favorites again.
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Now everyone is interested in one question: will James Harden be working with Daryl Morey again? Bookmakers have already added this bet and so far, judging by the odds, this is unlikely to happen.
Current odds:
- James Harden is traded to the Philadelphia 76ers +1400;
- James Harden is not traded to the Philadelphia 76ers +600.
Inevitable Interest
The Athletic has already written about the interest of the Philadelphia 76ers and other teams to James Harden. But so far the Houston Rockets are not ready to sell their best player. This transfer window will show if the Houston Rockets change their mind.
The Houston Rockets owner may now be in financial difficulties due to the pandemic. That's one of the reasons why the Houston Rockets may let James Harden go to another club. Tilman Fertitta may not agree to pay James Harden and Russel Westbrook such huge salaries.
One thing is clear: once the Houston Rockets decides to sell James Harden, Daryl Morey will be the favorite to get this player.
Ambitious Trade Packages
Quite strange transfer ideas are already emerging. For example, Andrew Hughes proposed a deal that the Philadelphia 76ers won't sell Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid but they will also sign contracts with James Harden and Gordon Hayward.
But such ideas should not be taken seriously even. It is clear that the Houston Rockets will want an equal exchange, for example, such players as Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons.
No young and promising players from The Philadelphia 76ers will replace James Harden.
Fitting With Embiid or Simmons
Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are very different players, so their performance with James Harden will be different too. Ben Simmons will play less with the ball, but he can do great pick-and-rolls.
Joel Embiid and James Harden would make the perfect attacking duo. Defenders cannot handle two such players at the same time.
Now imagine Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons playing with Russel Westbrook. Yes, it will be just awful. They are incompatible player.
By selling James Harden, the Houston Rockets are giving up the fight for the NBA title. But they probably want to build a team around Ben Simmons and sell Westbrook.
Unlikely This Offseason
Such an exchange can cause problems with the payroll. In this case, there are two options for The Philadelphia 76ers. Either they sell only Mike Scott, or three young rotation players - Milton, Korkmaz and Thybulle.
Both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Houston Rockets are ready for big changes but most likely they will not happen in this transfer window. If the teams fail to perform well in the next season, then we will probably see this deal.
Even if Daryl Morey doesn’t give up so easily, now is not the time to trade James Harden for Ben Simmons.