NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia 76ers and James Harden fiasco is officially over. The 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers have agreed on a trade that will send Harden, PJ Tucker, and Flip Petrusey to the Clippers for Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, a 2028 unprotected First Round pick, 2 Second Round picks, a pick swap, and a first-round pick from a 3rd team.
Now that the dust has settled, Daryl Morey looks like a genius. It was stated earlier that Morey wanted 2 picks and Terrance Mann in the Harden deal but now he got more than he wanted. This deal is a great move for the 76ers because it will give them cap flexibility for next season, but as we all know, Morey is not done. However, that doesn’t mean that another trade has to happen today or in the coming weeks. The Philadelphia 76ers need to sit tight and wait till the NBA trade deadline.
With Tucker gone, that makes way for Covington to move into the starting PF position that he once occupied during his first stint with the Philadelphia 76ers. Adding Morris and Batum to the second unit provides the 76ers with depth, shooting, and toughness. All things that were lacking prior to the trade and the last 2 seasons. Martin adds more scoring for the team and may have a brighter upside than Mann.
Did The Philadelphia 76ers Win The James Harden Trade
With the season still in its early stages, there is no need rot rush anything. Morey and Elton Brand should sit tight and see what Nick Nurse can do with this roster. If they begin to show cracks, just with till the deadline and make a move. But keep an eye on teams such as the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, or Toronto Raptors who may be looking to move a few of their pieces for draft capital that the 76ers now have.
The Raptors may be in the market to offload OG Anunoby or Pascal Siakam. The Knicks may not want to keep RJ Barrett or Julius Randle, and the same goes for the Bulls who may want to part ways with either Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan. But if Morey rushes, he will find himself in hot water.
Currently, the Philadelphia 76ers appear to be in great shape with who they have. The duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are torching defense right now. While there has been some life from Tobias Harris. Speaking of Harris, he has an expiring contract as well that could be added to any trades at the deadline for another star. Who knows, a move like this with this kind of depth could be exactly what the team needs. Look at a team like the Denver Nuggets. They gave two stars in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray but they won the championship on the backs of their role players. It’s not about the stars, but the supporting cast.
This is something the Clippers must now deal with. They have too many big-name players but not enough support. The same reason things didn’t work out in Brooklyn each time they tried the 3-4-man Super Teams.
Good move by Morey but let’s not do anything rash here. See what these guys can do as a unit and go from there. It will take some time to gel but only 3 games into the season, that’s more than enough time to see what product you have before making a final call.
