Daryl Morey finally got his man. Again.
Morey, the 76ers’ president of basketball operations, acquired former NBA MVP James Harden, along with veteran power forward Paul Millsap, from the Nets in exchange for the embattled Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks at Thursday afternoon’s trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
As the Rockets general manager, Morey traded for Harden in October 2012. Harden went from sixth man with the Thunder to a three-time scoring champion and perennial all-star selection in Houston, as well as league MVP in 2017-18.
Morey has been seeking another star to play alongside MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid for months. Not known for his defense, the 6-foot-5 Harden becomes the best offensive sidekick in Embiid’s six seasons as an NBA player. Embiid, who leads the league with a 29.4-point average, and Harden (22.5) become the No. 2 scoring duo in the NBA, just behind the Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan (27.4 points) and Zach LaVine (24.9).
By trading for him, the Sixers are capable of signing Harden to a five-year, $270 million maximum contract extension. Harden has apparently picked up his $47.4 million player option for next season, to which a four-year extension should be added.
The Sixers could’ve waited until the summer for Harden in a sign-and-trade deal or even signed him as an unrestricted free agent then, though it would have required trading Simmons for draft picks and either doing the same with Tobias Harris or waiving Harris and using the stretch provision to minimize the cap hit next season, creating space for Harden. In that scenario, the most Harden could have made was $200 million over four years.
The 32-year-old Harden, who has missed Brooklyn’s last four games due to hamstring tightness, is averaging 10.2 assists and 8 rebounds, in addition to 22.5 points, in 44 outings this season. Harden’s scoring, field goal percentage (.414) and 3-point percentage (.332) are his lowest joining Houston in 2012. A 13th-year pro, Harden is averaging 25 points and shooting .363 on 3 during his career.
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The move is an indication the Sixers are making a push to win the wide-open Eastern Conference this season and in the years to come. They went into Thursday fifth in the East with a 32-22 record, but only 2½ games out of first place.
Philadelphia could use a backup big man to replace Drummond. Rookie Charles Bassey and second-year big man Paul Reed are the only others on the roster capable of handling that spot, though the 6-foot-7 Millsap can also play some center. Millsap’s $2.64 million contract expires at season’s end.
Second-year pro Tyrese Maxey, who has excelled as the starting point guard, could move off the ball to shooting guard, which had been Curry’s spot, and run point on the second unit. The Nets were interested in everyone from Maxey to defensive ace Matisse Thybulle, Curry and Drummond, according to various reports. Brooklyn insisted on Thybulle being included while Morey refused, according to the Inquirer’s Keith Pompey.
Given all of the names being mentioned, Sixers coach Doc Rivers canceled Thursday’s practice, calling it the “human thing to do.” The Sixers host the Thunder on Friday night and Cavaliers on Saturday.
Curry helped spread the floor with his perimeter shooting and worked well with Embiid. He’s averaging 15 points and hitting .400 of his 3s this season.
The Sixers are likely to try to bolster their bench in the upcoming buyout market in which players tend to be willing to sign for the veterans’ minimum after agreeing to a buyout of the final year of a contract. Championship contenders are typically a sought-after destination.
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Simmons, who asked to be traded in the wake of criticism following the Sixers’ disappointing playoff loss to the Hawks, joins former MVP Kevin Durant and proven scorer Kyrie Irving with the Nets. Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft, is a three-time all-star and NBA Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in 2020-21.
It’ll be interesting to see how long it’ll take Simmons to play in games after sitting out the entire season.
Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes; @TomMoorePhilly
