Philadelphia 76ers: What a trade for James Harden might look like

According to a report from Shams Charania, the Philadelphia 76ers are interested in trading for James Harden. What might such a trade look like?

Speculation cranked up immediately after the Philadelphia 76ers hired Daryl Morey to be their president of basketball operations. Would he attempt to pry Houston Rockets superstar James Harden away via trade?

It’s the most obvious, lowest-hanging fruit in the fake-trade pre-offseason NBA universe, but given how Morey molded his gameplan and team-building strategy around Harden when they were together in Houston, it’s something that merits consideration. At least from everybody who can string together a transaction using one of the NBA trade machines.

The exercise gained some additional credibility on Tuesday when Shams Charania dropped the bombshell that, indeed, the Sixers had some level of interest in acquiring a top-five player in James Harden. It’s certainly something every team should consider if they can do it, so there’s no reason the Philadelphia 76ers should be any less interested than other organizations looking to improve.

Of course, Harden is a player that any team could wait for a generation or more just to get a shot at, so naturally, the Rockets are declaring that he is a non-starter for any trade. However, the Houston Rockets are a team with a peculiar set of needs and motivations, so you never know if maybe Morey can hit them where it hurts and make some magic.

Needless to say, any Harden trade is unlikely, but if it looks like such a blockbuster may be on the verge of happening, you’re going to want to know what the likely framework and requirements are. We’re going to take a look at what some of those factors could be and what such a trade might ultimately look like.