Now that their stint with James Harden has come to an end, the future looks quite interesting for the Philadelphia 76ers. As many NBA fans might be aware, the team was heavily involved in trade rumors and discussions throughout the offseason after Harden demanded a trade from the team and revealed his desire to play for the Los Angeles Clippers.
After James made his request clear, several weeks passed and the NBA season finally began. Although reports initially revealed that Haden would cooperate with the team as they looked for a trade, he never stepped on the court for the 76ers until he was finally traded to the Clippers.
Now that their time with Harden is over, the 76ers are looking to the future. Recent reports revealed that the 76ers are interested in acquiring a player with skills similar to Boston Celtics star Jrue Holiday. That said, let us take a better look at the situation and find out more.
Will the Philadelphia 76ers trade for a player on Jrue Holiday’s tier?
While there is no denying that the 76ers had to give up a lot in order to finally be rid of James Harden, they still have a fair share of future assets that could be used in a trade to bring another star onto the roster.
Although the Celtics have no reason to trade away their most recent acquisition to their rivals, there might be other teams across the league that are willing to engage in a trade with the 76ers. Holiday is a veteran point guard best known for his defensive abilities.
According to the reports, “With the James Harden saga over, all eyes are on the next potential trade for the Philadelphia 76ers. They now can offer up to three first-round picks, four second-round picks, and three first-round pick swaps, and they’re hoping it’s enough for a player of the caliber of Jrue Holiday.”
“With the James Harden saga over, all eyes are on the next potential trade for the Philadelphia 76ers. They now can offer up to three first-round picks, four second-round picks and three first-round pick swaps, and they’re hoping it’s enough for a player of the caliber of Jrue… pic.twitter.com/BIvFKl1L2Y
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 11, 2023
It is certainly possible for the 76ers to engage in a trade for a player like Marcus Smart. After all, the Grizzlies have started the season quite badly and might be willing to let go of Smart in return for future draft assets. However, one should wonder if the 76ers should even make any upgrades given their current position.
Joel Embiid and the 76ers hold the best record in the East
One might assume that the 76ers got significantly worse this NBA offseason after trading away James Harden. However, the exact opposite has happened so far. After the 76ers lost their season opener to the Milwaukee Bucks by just one point, the team has gone on a 7-game winning streak and currently holds a record of 7 wins and 1 loss.
That gives them the best record in the Eastern Conference at the moment. Therefore, fans could argue that bringing in other established talent could ruin the dynamics that the players on the roster have at the moment. After all, that seems to be happening with the Los Angeles Clippers at this very moment.
Therefore, it might be in the best interest of the 76ers to wait and watch. If players such as Tyrese Maxey are able to take the next step and support Joel Embiid, the 76ers might be able to establish themselves as title contenders even without making any new moves.