NBA Insider's Mock Trade Sends Former First-Rounder to Sixers

As the dust from the Damian Lillard trade continues to settle, eyes from around the league have gravitated back toward Philadelphia as there have been no developments regarding James Harden's desire to play in Philadelphia following his public falling out with the Sixers' President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey.

With the potential of a trade involving Lillard to Philadelphia off the table, some have started to speculate a deal utilizing some of the pieces in the initial three-team deal.

The Athletic's Sam Vecenie highlighted a mock trade that could see the Sixers partake in a three-team trade, which would see Harden leave and a familiar face make a return to the city in which he was drafted.

Vecenie's Mock Trade:

Sixers Receive: Jrue Holiday

Clippers Receive: James Harden

Blazers Receive: Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, Amir Coffey, Brandon Boston, 2028 Clippers First-Rounder, First Rounder, Second Rounder, a Future First-Round pick swap from 76ers

Holiday, who was originally drafted by Philadelphia in the first round of the 2009 draft, was one of the pieces sent from Milwaukee in the Lillard trade.

The two-time all-star averaged 19 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in his last season with the Bucks, a clear step up from the previous few seasons.

While these numbers don't equate to Harden's output on the offensive end, one area in which Holiday is known for is his defense, making five appearances on the NBA's All-Defensive, first team three times and the second team twice.

For the previous three seasons, the 33-year-old has been a monster on the defensive glass, placing within the top 88 percentile or above for defensive rebounds while holding his opposition to 41 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc last season.

Apart from the on court aspects of the trade, Holiday coming in for Harden would free up roughly one million dollars in cap space for the Sixers to use, which could come in handy with a potential new contract looming for Tyrese Maxey, whose current deal is set to expire at the end of the 2023-24 season.