For the last three months, the Philadelphia 76ers have been preparing for James Harden’s impending departure. The Sixers even refused to allow Harden to rejoin the team for their season-opening road trip because they were confident enough in their ability to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. Daryl Morey, being the shrewd front office executive that he is, isn’t backing down from any trade talks, though.
And the Sixers, despite being down their All-Star starting point guard from last season, nearly had enough to defeat the Bucks, only suffering a loss in the final minute thanks to some characteristic Damian Lillard heroics. Tyrese Maxey had a stellar game, posting 31 points and eight dimes, and three other players (Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Kelly Oubre Jr.) scored in 20 points, flourishing in new head coach Nick Nurse’s system.
Thus, despite the Sixers’ trade talks with the Los Angeles Clippers having hit the pause button, it seems like Daryl Morey and company are in a good position to remain competitive even without James Harden. And Morey recognizes this; in fact, he even liked a tweet from Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer stating that “they should be patient” and “can’t settle” for a meh trade return when they’re still one strong piece away from legitimately competing for a championship.
It seems as though the Sixers and Clippers find themselves at a stalemate once again, with the two teams with championship aspirations staring at each other’s eyes until the other blinks. The Clippers also hit pause on James Harden trade talks because they know that, being the only reported legitimate suitor for The Beard, the Sixers may find it difficult to find a trade partner willing to give them any sort of value for an increasingly disgruntled Harden.
However, Daryl Morey has shown that patience can pay off in the past; after all, the Sixers were able to acquire James Harden in 2022 by trading for the much-maligned Ben Simmons, who was coming off a disastrous postseason that destroyed his reputation. Is Morey flying too close to the sun, or can he catch lightning in a bottle twice?
