With all eyes on Brooklyn and Philadelphia as the NBA trade deadline approaches, the most common rumblings include a potential trade featuring Ben Simmons to Brooklyn and James Harden to Philadelphia. For months, this has been a popular rumor but, in recent days, things have escalated according to reports. Both players are under contract for very large sums, making it easier to match salary in a deal. However, another angle is also in play in that Harden can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, creating flexibility to force his way to a preferred destination.
At present, the 76ers have more than $130 million in guaranteed salaries on the books for the 2022-23 season, seemingly taking Philadelphia off the table to sign Harden outright. Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice brings an intriguing report, though, and he shines the light on a potential move to trade Tobias Harris, who is due $37.6 million next season, to make the math work.
The Sixers are sending a clear message: they view signing Harden outright as a real possibility. If the Sixers eventually need to move Tobias Harris in order to clear the cap space necessary to sign Harden in the summer, sources familiar with the situation say they have two potential suitors with cap space lined up who they could move Harris to if they need to clear the decks. The pick-collecting Thunder are an obvious team to watch. Whether you believe that’s a central part of their plan or a threat meant to bring down the Nets’ current ask, that’s the word that keeps slipping out.
Harris is a quality starter for the 76ers, though his contract is generally viewed as a negative value because of the $37.6 million for 2022-23 and a whopping $39.2 million for the 2023-24 season, all for a non-superstar player. There are teams, headlined by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who might take Harris for the right price, and Neubeck notes “two potential suitors,” bringing a mystery team into the mix.
It must be noted that it would be much easier, at least in some respects, for the Sixers to trade for Harden, rather than jumping through the hoops to create max cap space. A Simmons-Harden swap would likely include additional assets heading to Brooklyn from Philadelphia, but those assets might be less valuable than the capital needed to clear the decks by July. Still, the Nets have to agree to any deal if it happens before Thursday, and Brooklyn isn’t likely jumping up and down to help Philadelphia in the process.
