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The latest chapter in the current NBA offseason’s biggest transfer saga has provided another twist. James Harden, who has been rumored to be looking for a move to the Brooklyn Nets in the past few weeks, has now informed the Houston Rockets that he is open to a move to the Philadelphia 76ers, or any other championship contender. While much has been made of the Philadelphia 76ers’ biggest stars’ issues when playing together, adding a shooter of Harden’s caliber is bound to benefit the overall system, regardless of the sacrifice. In the latest chapter of the NBA Trade Rumors, we look at Philadelphia 76ers’ Head coach Doc Rivers’ response to the recent trade rumors about James Harden.
NBA Trade Rumors: Doc Rivers plays down rumors of James Harden joining the Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers had a poor 2019-20 NBA season and lost in the 1st round of the playoffs against the Boston Celtics. However, the 2020 offseason has been comprehensively better, with the 76ers hiring former LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers early in October.
The move was followed by the hiring of former Houston Rockets’ General Manager Daryl Morey, who has come in and attempted to surround Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid with shooters who will complement their playstyles. 3-point specialists Seth Curry and Danny Green have already been brought in, with rumors about Harden now doing rounds on the internet.
James Harden has recently added the Philadelphia 76ers to the list of teams he is willing to move to. However, when Doc Rivers was asked about the rumors in a recent press conference, he gave a rather coy reply.
Doc said that he is comfortable with his team as it currently stands, and played down rumors of James Harden joining the Philadelphia 76ers. As you can see in the post below, Doc distanced himself from the latest NBA Trade Rumors and suggested that the 76ers cannot be bothered with trade rumors that are not coming from them.
Of course, pulling off such a trade will require the Philadelphia 76ers to give up one of their young stars, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. While there have been no reports of talks having been initiated between the Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers, Daryl Morey had recently said that both Simmons and Embiid will be a part of the franchise for “a long time.”
Hence, while the possibility of a trade appears rather minuscule as of now, signing a player of Harden’s caliber can only mean good things for the Philadelphia 76ers. Moreover, the presence of Daryl Morey, who has obviously worked with Harden back at the Houston Rockets for 8 years, means that anything is possible!
