Should the Harden Trade be the Sixers’ Biggest Regret From Last Season?

The Philadelphia 76ers have eyed up James Harden ever since they hired Daryl Morey to become the team’s President of Basketball Operations. Morey, who was coming off of a long stint running the Houston Rockets front office, had some solid intel that Harden was growing disgruntled in Houston.

Morey attempted to bring his guy to Philadelphia, but the Rockets played hardball. As Houston gave the Sixers the runaround right around the time when Harden made it clear he’d no longer play until he’s traded, the Rockets eventually struck a trade with the Brooklyn Nets.

Harden finished the 2020-2021 season with the Nets. He started the 2021-2022 in Brooklyn as well. However, Harden once again grew disgruntled and made it apparent he wanted another trade.

The Sixers, who had a three-time All-Star unwilling to play for them, needed to trade Ben Simmons just as much as Brooklyn needed to move Harden before he became too much of a distraction. Both teams swapped stars and more to get a blockbuster deal done before the trade market closed in February.

Did the Sixers Make the Right Move?

Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report put together an opinion piece listing each NBA team’s biggest regret from the 2021-2022 season. For the Sixers, it was “betting big on the Beard.”

“Harden had one of the worst shooting seasons of his career and flopped in some of Philly's biggest playoff moments, including finishing with just 11 points on nine shots in the Sixers' season-ending loss to the Miami Heat.

"

His struggles sustained long enough this season to wonder whether he has lost a step or simply struggled to ever put a nagging hamstring problem behind him. Unfortunately, the 76ers may not have time to figure this out before attaching a dollar amount to this new version of Harden. If he doesn't pick up his $47.4 million player option, he'll immediately become one of the most fascinating and polarizing players in this year's free-agent class.”

When the Sixers traded for Harden, the move looked spectacular on paper considering Harden’s a ten-time All-Star and former MVP winner. He immediately became the most accomplished player to play alongside Philly’s MVP-caliber center, Joel Embiid.

But as Swartz at BR mentioned, Harden’s stint with the Sixers did not reach expectations. In 21 games, Harden averaged 21 points, continuing the downward trend of his scoring averages. The Sixers hoped Harden would have it all figured out by the time the playoffs rolled around, but that was another roller coaster ride as well.

During the 2022 postseason, Harden averaged 18 points. It was the first time he put up less than 20 points per game since his time as a six-man on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s bench in 2012. And in the final two games when the Sixers needed the ten-time All-Star to step up on offense, he scored fewer than 15 points, averaging just 11 field goal attempts.

The Harden trade didn’t pay off the way the Sixers would’ve liked, but it’s hard to say Philly’s front office should totally regret the move. With Ben Simmons’ decision to hold out and force a trade, the Sixers were put in a tough spot from the jump.

Daryl Morey didn’t want to take less just to get rid of Simmons, and he ended up with an All-Star caliber player in Harden. While Harden’s numbers were disappointing at times, he still gave the Sixers more than what Simmons gave them in 2022, which is nothing.

Not all bets payout — but the bet on Harden in Philly is currently still open. Trading for Harden was the right move to make when the deal was on the table. Now, the Sixers have to decide just how far they want to take it as they enter a critical offseason regarding contract negotiations with Harden.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

More Sixers News:

NBA Executive’s Take on Harden: Following the Philadelphia 76ers’ final game of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, All-Star guard James Harden seemed confident that he’ll come back much better after going through an offseason without rehabbing. However, an anonymous NBA executive believes that Harden’s best days are evidently behind him and it could put the Sixers in a tough spot. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.

Doc Rivers to Lakers Gets Put to Rest: Are the Los Angeles Lakers still holding out hope to acquire Sixers head coach Doc Rivers? Their latest move proves that’s not the case. While LA waited patiently to see if any new head coaches became available as the playoffs progressed, the Lakers finally hired Frank Vogel’s replacement and it’s not the 76ers head coach. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.