The Philadelphia 76ers just spent a third consecutive season being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, a worrying pattern for MVP Joel Embiid, who’s never been to the Conference Finals in his career.
James Harden’s free agency is looming heavy on the franchise, as many expect him to leave Philly and return to the Houston Rockets. If that ends up happening, a Philadelphia sports radio host has reported that the front office will look to try and get Kyrie Irving or Damian Lillard via trade to replace Harden.
“If James Harden leaves, expect the Philadelphia 76ers to attempt to trade for Damian Lillard or Kyrie Irving. Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris will be involved in both trades.”
If James Harden leaves, expect the Philadelphia 76ers to attempt to trade for Damian Lillard or Kyrie Irving. Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris will be involved in both trades. #NBA
— Doc Louallen (@LouallenDoc) May 30, 2023
Philly cannot outright try and sign Kyrie, so they’ll likely need to convince the Dallas Mavericks to accept a sign-and-trade, something the franchise has indicated they won’t look to do. The Trail Blazers are shopping their No. 3 pick for stars to add around Lillard now, so convincing them to finally blow it up will be a tall task, especially with the assets Philly has right now.
What Will The 76ers Need To Give Up?
Philadelphia will still be taking a lateral step, as they’ll give up their depth to replace Harden if they go the trade route. The likely package for a star of this caliber will revolve around Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris. Maxey has emerged as a candidate to take Harden’s role as an internal option, but he is still developing, and replacing him with someone like Kyrie or Dame will be a clear upgrade.
Tobias Harris’ contract has weighed heavy on Philly since they signed him in 2019, but we’re finally in the last season of the deal. Philly would likely need to move Tobi anyway to get some rotation pieces, as his contract can be split into two. But if Philly is going star hunting, his contract would be something teams will be willing to take for the short-term hit and rely on his veteran experience.
There are no obvious routes to trading for either player, but the 76ers will be monitoring the situation and see if there are any elite guards in the NBA they can acquire to replace the production of assists leader James Harden.
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