The buzz surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets’ James Harden doesn’t appear to be going away. The Sixers have had Harden on their radar since he was on the Houston Rockets and it’s been reported by Jake Fisher of Bleacher Report that Harden is open to a change of scenery this offseason.
The Sixers are one of the few teams that can offer legit All-Star talent in exchange for Harden, but to clear it’s unlikely that a trade will happen this season. It makes no sense for either Harden or the Nets to entertain the idea due to the chance to club being one of the favorites to win an NBA title.
That being written, let’s theorize that for some unforeseen reason, the Nets do decide to trade Harden mid-season. What could a potential trade between Philly and Brooklyn look like? Let’s find out.
Potential in-season between trade between the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets.
In this trade, the Sixers send Brooklyn Ben Simmons, Danny Green, and Matisse Thybulle, plus two first round picks and two first round pick swaps. In return, the Nets give Philly Harden, Jevon Carter, and DeAndre’ Bembry.
The Nets get an All-Star to pair with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving with Simmons who isn’t a high usage scorer and can anchor their defense. Thybulle’s another elite defender and Green is the originally 3-and-D wing which is something Brooklyn could always use. They also get a few first round picks as well after making the deal to initially land Harden last season.
The Sixers lose their two best defenders but Harden can help the 76ers be a legit title contender. On top of that, Bembry and Carter are two above-average defenders so it’s not like the Sixers aren’t going to be horrendous on that end, especially with Joel Embiid and Charlie Brown Jr. still on the roster.
As previously stated near the beginning of this article, it’s unlikely that the Nets will trade Harden during this season. However, if they do decide to go that route, then the Philadelphia 76ers have a package that should get a deal done.