How much should Sixers give up in James Harden trade?

Despite conflicting reports on the subject, one thing is abundantly clear: the Sixers would like to acquire James Harden prior to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. Daryl Morey has a well-documented appreciation for Harden’s unique skill set, and the Brooklyn guard’s apparent unhappiness is reason enough for the Nets to consider making a deal.

Now, the variance in reporting is certainly odd. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst proclaimed that Philly and Brooklyn are “in the Deal Zone,” which aside from sounding like that game show your father used to watch, indicates a high probability of Harden ending up with the Sixers. On the other hand, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski — who, by every metric, is a more reliable and accomplished news-breaker than Windhorst — has reported the exact opposite, and that no negotiations are currently ongoing between the Nets and Sixers.

It’s hard to ignore the nature of Woj’s denial, as again, there is no more reliable news-breaker in the NBA sphere. That said, there is too much noise around James Harden to believe nothing is happening. There is a chance, however slim, that Harden is a member of the Sixers by 3 PM on Thursday. That being said…

What should the Sixers be willing to give up in a James Harden trade?

If we’re to traffic in the trade rumors of Brian Windhorst, the two teams are currently waging war over the ancillary parts of a potential Ben Simmons-James Harden swap. The big question is, who else are the Sixers going to include?

According to Jason Dumas of Bleacher Report, the Sixers have outright refused to deal Tyrese Maxey — and justifiably so. The counter from Brooklyn, according to Dumas, is a trade involving Matisse Thybulle, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond.

My general stance is that you have to give something to get something. While the Sixers’ fierce desire to keep Maxey is understandable, if it came down to the wire and the only possible way to make a deal was to hand over Simmons and Maxey, then I’d be inclined to accept that trade. The Sixers should not give up Simmons and Maxey and pieces — you have to draw the line somewhere — but all things considered, you cannot pass up the chance to land James Harden.

That said, if the Sixers talk Maxey off the table, is Curry and Thybulle and Drummond acceptable? In this writer’s opinion… again, yes. You have to give up more than Simmons. It’s just inevitable. No matter how discontent Harden is, he is a significantly better player than Ben Simmons. Even with questions around his age, contract, and injury status, the Sixers have to be willing to pay a steep price — even if Simmons’ defense becomes a rather dangerous obstacle in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Curry has taken leap after leap since arriving in Philadelphia. This season, he’s averaging 15.0 points and 4.0 assists on .485/.400/.877 shooting splits. His chemistry with Joel Embiid is borderline telepathic, and there’s no doubt he would thrive (offensively at least) next to Harden and Embiid. But, he’s also an exploitable defender who played a major role in Philadelphia’s game seven loss to Atlanta because he turned Kevin Huerter into an open flame. Curry is far from flawless, and the Sixers could replicate some of his off-guard dynamism if, say, Patty Mills were part of the trade.

Matisse Thybulle is trickier, if only because he’s the last defender standing on the Sixers’ roster. Nobody else can consistently guard the perimeter right now, and for all his talents offensively, James Harden is not supplying the Sixers with consistent effort on the defensive end.

Thybulle is still just 24 years old and he is on track to made his second All-Defensive team despite averaging well below 30 minutes per game. He is extremely important. That said, Thybulle is still not statistically the best wing next to Joel Embiid. That’s Danny Green. He’s also still a terribly limited offensive player, which makes life more difficult on Embiid in high-stakes situations.

It’s difficult to project Thybulle’s value in a playoff setting. On one hand, he’s as good an answer to the league’s elite on-ball creators as any player. On the other hand, the defense can practically ignore him in the halfcourt, and he’s not exactly feasting on spot-up 3s next to James Harden like you’d want from your supporting cast. He’s more expendable than the average Sixers fan would tell you, in my opinion, and losing him in a Harden deal would be well worth the upside of Harden’s offense.

Andre Drummond, or any other player not named Seth Curry, Matisse Thybulle, or Tyrese Maxey (or, obviously, Joel Embiid) is fair game. There really shouldn’t be much hesitation. Drummond has been an excellent backup five — a true rarity in the Embiid era — but he can’t be what holds up James Harden’s arrival. Both Charles Bassey and Paul Reed have showed competence when given the playing time, and there’s always a buyout market for backup centers. For example, Cody Zeller was recently released by Portland.

The Sixers have to be careful, as there are legitimate long-term concerns with Harden, but one has to remember just how good he is. When healthy, you won’t find 10 better NBA players than Harden. Even this season — in what many would consider a “down year” — Harden is averaging 22.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game.