Harden-less 76ers Incoming—What Does this Mean for the Sixers?

James Harden pretty much confirmed he’s done with Philadelphia only days after it was reported he would not be traded. While in China, Harden had some rather disheartening words to share about the 76ers’ President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey.

This is definitely not what the 76ers wanted to hear, especially since Harden was a key player for them this past year.

What does this mean for the Sixers?

The Simmons-Harden Trade was a Failure

Trading Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round draft picks for Paul Millsap and James Harden seemed like a steal at the time. Now, it seems like both sides lost this trade. It was thought that Simmons, Curry, and Drummond were no longer important for a championship-contending roster like the Sixers had, but now Curry and Drummond seem like pieces that Philadelphia could definitely utilize, and those draft picks would be very valuable for building a well-rounded team.

Unfortunately, it has been clear that James Harden has not turned out to be as valuable as the 76ers originally thought he was.

The Sixers Need a Replacement for Harden

James Harden’s impact with Philly hasn’t gone unnoticed, and it is clear Philadelphia needs a passer to go along with Maxey and Embiid’s scoring. A clear option for the Sixers is trading Harden to the Pacers to get T.J. McConnell and possibly Buddy Hield or a few draft picks.

T.J. McConnell is quietly an excellent passer in today’s NBA as he is averaging 5.6 assists in the past 3 seasons with Indiana. Although that doesn’t seem like many, it has to be realized that McConnell is doing this off the bench. If McConnell were to get an additional 10-15 minutes of playing time with a starting job in Philly, those 6 assists a game may turn into 10-12 assists per game.

McConnell also would likely be interested in playing for Philadelphia, as he was drafted there in 2015 and played there until 2019.

This May Be a Good Thing

Harden leaving Philadelphia might not be so bad after all. He was holding back Tyrese Maxey from reaching his full potential as two excellent scorers had to share the backcourt together. Now that Harden is almost guaranteed to be out of the picture, Maxey can now elevate to the All-Star level we know he can reach. In fact, it is very possible that Maxey could average 25-30 points a game as he may get 5-10 more minutes of playing time, giving him and Embiid more court time together.

The 2023-2024 season may not result in a championship for the 76ers, but give Tyrese Maxey a year being Joel Embiid’s partner in crime, and 2024-2025 may be when the Larry O’Brien Trophy is risen in the City of Brotherly Love.