The Philadelphia 76ers have been thrown into the blender this summer as James Harden submitted a trade request. Since then, things have gone downhill in a variety of different ways.
Last year, they were (once again) bounced in the second round of the playoffs, losing to the Boston Celtics in seven games. And while their focus should be on improving, it’s instead on Harden and his future, or lack thereof, with the team.
Grading the 5 worst James Harden trades on the internet
Earlier this summer, Harden opted into his player option under the assumption that the 76ers would fulfill his trade request. When Daryl Morey doubled back and said that was no longer the plan, things got weird.
Harden publicly stated that he will not be a part of an organization that Morey is a part of, The NBA has opened up investigations, and all eyes are on Philadelphia.
With Harden’s trade request and subsequent statements about the 76ers, the internet has taken it upon itself to come up with a million different trade ideas involving the 76ers star.
There are the obvious ones, most of which involve the LA Clippers, and then there are the odd ones. But amid them all, only a few stand out as the most… interesting.
Needless to say, it’s difficult to nail down what Harden’s value is at the current moment, especially with his history of requesting trades from so many teams.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the worst Harden trades from across the World Wide Web and grade each of them. What mock trades should the 76ers avoid at all costs?
Grading the 5 worst James Harden trades on the internet: LA Clippers
As noted, the LA Clippers are one of the top destinations for James Harden, as that was the team he was heavily rumored to want to join when he requested to be traded by the Philadelphia 76ers.
76ers receive: Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, Terence Mann
Clippers receive: James Harden
This deal was concocted by Dan Favale of Bleacher Report toward the end of June, and to put it bluntly, the 76ers just don’t get enough value back in return to make this trade worth it.
A deal with the Clippers seems like the most likely way this entire scenario ends, but if this is the offer, then the 76ers would be better off keeping Harden and suffering the consequences.
If Philadelphia were to move Harden to LA, they should want back at least Norman Powell. Obviously, getting a Paul George or Kawhi Leonard would be nice, but that’s never going to happen.
Some rumblings have indicated that Daryl Morey doesn’t want to take on long-term money, which could explain why Powell was left out of this deal, but if the 76ers want to remain competitive, this offer wouldn’t help.
And to make matters worse, the 76ers wouldn’t even get back future draft capital in this deal. It wouldn’t help the team now, but they could flip the picks in future trades.
Terence Mann would be the best asset coming back for Philadelphia, and while he’s a solid player, that’s just not good enough.
Grade: D-
Grading the 5 worst James Harden trades on the internet: Miami Heat
This trade isn’t the worst in the world, but from the perspective of the Philadelphia 76ers, they should aim to get more productive players back in a James Harden deal.
76ers receive: Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, Two first-round picks, Two second-round picks
Heat receive: James Harden
A mock trade in an article written by Zach Harper and Shams Charania of The Athletic, this deal would see the Miami Heat give up on their quest to trade for Damian Lillard and pursue Harden instead.
If the Heat get tired of negotiating with the Portland Trail Blazers, then they should jump on this deal in a heartbeat, but the 76ers shouldn’t be too interested.
Kyle Lowry’s money would be off the books after next season, which is a plus, but at that point, the players they’d be getting back in the deal wouldn’t be good enough.
Caleb Martin made a name for himself in the Eastern Conference finals last year, but he’s not the type of player who should be highlighting a trade for Harden.
As far as the picks go, they are useful, and the 76ers could use them in future deals, but they don’t get enough talent back. Philadelphia should be looking to win now with Joel Embiid leading the way, and Lowry and Martin don’t help that plan enough right now.
Grade: C-
Grading the 5 worst James Harden trades on the internet: New York Knicks
Of all the teams that could potentially get involved, the New York Knicks have one of the more intriguing packages, but this one is too far away from a fair deal to interest the Philadelphia 76ers.
76ers receive: Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin***, Evan Fournier, 2024 first-round pick, 2024 first-round pick (via DAL)
Knicks receive: James Harden
This trade was created by Zach Ciavolella of Philly Sports Network under the context that the Knicks could be one of the teams to show an interest in Harden.
Obviously, Obi Toppin has since been traded to the Indiana Pacers and would not be able to be put in this deal, but regardless, this deal wouldn’t be close to worth it for the 76ers.
Even if the Knicks replaced Toppin with Quentin Grimes, Jericho Sims, or another young player, Philadelphia still shouldn’t make this deal, and it would be for the same reason they should avoid the Miami Heat trade – they don’t get good enough players back in return.
Immanuel Quickley is a fine young guard, but he and Tyrese Maxey would be an extremely small backcourt. The fit just doesn’t make a ton of sense.
Evan Fournier is on the decline, and again, while first-round picks are useful assets, the 76ers need to focus on being competitive rather than adding future draft capital.
Grade: D+
Grading the 5 worst James Harden trades on the internet: New Orleans Pelicans
Unlike the other deals, this would actually be a decent return for the Philadelphia 76ers, but it’s a very risky trade, so it lands on this list.
76ers receive: Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Larry Nance Jr., Garrett Temple***
Pelicans receive: James Harden, PJ Tucker, Mac McClung***, Two second-round picks
Andrew Lopez of ESPN came up with this trade idea earlier this summer, and although Garrett Temple and Mac McClung are no longer part of their respective teams and cannot be traded, the general framework of this deal is still questionable.
At first glance, getting Zion Williamson back in a deal for one year with James Harden is great value for Philadelphia. But it would also come with a major risk.
Through four years of NBA action, Williamson has appeared in just 114 games – including missing the entirety of his junior season in the league. That’s risky.
The 76ers already have one injury-prone superstar in Joel Embiid, though he has played over 60 games in each of the past two years. However, the risks are still there.
A frontcourt of Williamson and Embiid would seriously lack floor spacing, and for Williamson to be at his best, he needs an open lane. That won’t happen with Embiid.
Trey Murphy III would sneakily be an elite player to add next to Embiid, but overall, the 76ers should aim for clear books moving forward or a risk-free star that fits better next to Embiid. There are just too many question marks involved in this deal.
Grade: C
Grading the 5 worst James Harden trades on the internet: Utah Jazz
As noted on previous slides, some of the top reasons for trades being graded low are a lack of draft capital, players that don’t fit the Philadelphia 76ers’ vision, and simply a return that is too small. This trade hits all of those points.
76ers receive: Jordan Clarkson, Kelly Olynyk
Jazz receive: James Harden
James Piercy of NBA Analysis Network concocted this deal in the middle of August, but it wouldn’t be able to go through until the trade deadline, as Jordan Clarkson was just extended and cannot be moved until then. Regardless, this deal would be a complete and utter disaster for the 76ers.
Obviously, the James Harden situation is tricky. Teams will be rightfully hesitant to trade for him as he’s in the final year of his contract and has a history of drama.
However, if this is the best Daryl Morey can scrounge up for Harden on the trade market, Philadelphia fans would riot in the streets and Joel Embiid may retire the second the deal goes through.
Clarkson and Kelly Olynyk are fine players. Both would help the 76ers win. But neither is good enough to highlight a trade for Harden, and both are over 30 years old.
And to make matters worse, the 76ers would get zero draft picks back in this deal. They should be focusing on adding talent anyway, but the fact that they’re only getting Clarkson and Olynyk and still getting zero picks in this trade is a tough look.
Grade: F