NBA Offseason 2020: 5 blockbuster James Harden trades

1. Philadelphia 76ers

Ben Simmons is the best player the Rockets could realistically hope to get in return for James Harden. He’s more appealing as a franchise cornerstone than Michael Porter Jr., better than Deandre Ayton and more a certain thing than Caris LeVert. So if the Philadelphia 76ers make their star point forward available, their offer automatically jumps to the top of the list.

Whether it stays there depends on what else Morey (and Elton Brand, I guess) is willing to include for his former superstar. Matisse Thybulle and his sterling defense would be an excellent get for a rebuilding franchise in Houston, while the expiring contract of veteran Mike Scott would give them another able body and some minimal cap relief for 2021. Throw in a future first-round pick and that’s quite an impressive haul to jumpstart the next chapter of Rockets basketball. In fact, it wouldn’t even be a drastic departure from the Church of Morey, since they could replace Harden with Simmons as the lead ball-handler and continue to prioritize putting 3-point shooters around him.

From Philly’s perspective, as intriguing as it is to think about, a Big 3 of Harden, Simmons and Joel Embiid just isn’t realistic; the Rockets won’t want anything to do with Tobias Harris or Al Horford, and Josh Richardson isn’t good enough to anchor a James Harden trade without one of the Sixers’ two superstars being involved. When push comes to shove, Embiid is still the foundation in Philadelphia, and his game would mesh more easily with Harden’s ball-dominant style than a point forward who can’t shoot like Simmons.

In that respect, at least the 76ers would be breaking up their star duo in the name of a better star duo that could start competing for championships right away. It’d sting to let Simmons and Thybulle go, and there’d still be work to be done, like surrounding them with shooters (hence Ben McLemore’s inclusion) and jettisoning bad contracts. But after such a disappointing season, a Morey-infused roster of Harden and Embiid, led by Doc Rivers, would be off to a great start.