PHILADELPHIA — Conflicting reports heading into Thursday afternoon’s NBA trade deadline are everywhere.
Unnamed sources are saying the 76ers and Nets haven’t spoken about a potential deal involving Ben Simmons and James Harden in four weeks (ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski). Brooklyn is interested in acquiring Simmons for Harden but wants shooting guard Seth Curry in return (The Ringer’s Bill Simmons). The Sixers are expected to pursue Harden, with the Nets “open to discussing a deal” by the deadline (The Athletic’s Shams Charania).
Not all of that is possible. Since players’ agents and NBA teams want to try to shape the narrative heading into Thursday’s deadline, you essentially end up with somebody saying yes, no and maybe. Everybody has an agenda and tries to push theirs.
It’s been this way for years and is likely to continue indefinitely.
“Each individual is different,” said Sixers coach Doc Rivers prior to Tuesday night’s 114-109 loss to the Suns at the Wells Fargo Center. “There’s just so many bad rumors, honestly, and so much noise and talk with every team, I guess – obviously us with the Ben situation. You talk to guys individually – you don’t do a lot of team talk because I think that’s the (best) way and you just go out and play.”
Then again, maybe Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has this summer in mind with his deadline moves.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Tuesday that the Sixers “are looking for a way to move Tobias Harris (by Thursday) – potentially to clear cap space in the summer to sign Harden outright.”
To do that, the Sixers would have to trade Harris, who is earning $36 million this season and owed $76.9 million over the next two years, and probably at least one first-round pick to the Thunder, which is roughly $32 million below the salary cap, for an expiring contract at roughly $4 million. Then, in the summer, they’d need to send Simmons (three years and $113.7 million left after this season) to one of the teams – at this point, the Spurs, Pistons, Magic or Trail Blazers – that could absorb his contract in exchange for draft picks.
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For Harden to become an unrestricted free agent, he would have to decline a $47.4 million player option with the Nets for 2022-23. The most the Sixers or another team could sign him for as a free agent would be $200 million over four years (starting at $46 million), compared to the $270 million over five years he could secure by remaining in Brooklyn or from the Sixers if they trade for him Thursday afternoon.
Essentially dumping the contract of Harris, Philadelphia’s second-leading scorer, this week would leave the Sixers with backup Georges Niang and young Paul Reed at power forward, decreasing the chances for a deep playoff run. It would also be a hard to sell to the fan base with Joel Embiid having an MVP-caliber season.
Perhaps a more viable possibility would be waiving Harris this summer using the stretch provision, which would allow the Sixers to spread his remaining money over five years at $13.48 million per season. By that time, Morey would know if Harden opted into his contract or not and is a free agent.
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Coupled with dealing Simmons to one of the aforementioned teams with cap space, the Sixers could create a max slot for Harden by not bringing back three of their four non-guaranteed minimum players (Shake Milton, Isaiah Joe, Paul Reed and Charles Bassey) or trading Furkan Korkmaz for a draft pick.
The advantage for the Sixers by signing Harden as a free agent vs. acquiring him in a sign-and-trade deal in the summer would be avoiding having to be hard-capped at what is expected to be a figure of $147 million next season. They could exceed that number with various exceptions or re-signing their own players if they sign him, assuming they’re willing to pay the accompanying luxury tax.
Meanwhile, the Pacers opened some eyes Tuesday by trading power forward Domantas Sabonis, wing Justin Holiday and wing Jeremy Lamb to the Kings for combo guard Tyrese Hailburton, wing Buddy Hield and the expiring contract of big man Tristan Thompson.
If the Sixers don’t get Harden by the deadline – or, say, Harden or Damian Lillard this summer – the dynamic Haliburton and Hield (along with perhaps a first-round pick) would’ve worked, cap-wise, for Simmons and provided immediate help.
Harden sat out Tuesday against the Celtics, marking the third straight game he’s missed due to hamstring tightness, but was on the bench.
Sixers’ rookie guard Jaden Springer appeared to be a healthy scratch for the Delaware Blue Coats’ win Tuesday before an update came out saying he sat out with knee soreness. It’s possible that Morey would consider trading Springer, Joe, Reed and/or Korkmaz to acquire a veteran backup point guard or wing on an expiring contract by Thursday.
The ensuing buyout market could be an option for the Sixers, too. Regardless what they plan to do with Harris and Simmons, they could bolster the roster with a player or players in the final year of a contract by Thursday afternoon.
Buckle up.
Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes; @TomMoorePhilly
