The James Harden era in Philadelphia ended after just 79 games. The Philadelphia 76ers, in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, reportedly agreed to a trade sending the 10-time All-Star along with P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev to the Los Angeles Clippers in return for Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nic Batum, KJ Martin and draft pick compensation. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report the details of the trade.
The Sixers are acquiring Marcus Morris, Nic Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, multiple draft picks and a pick swap for James Harden, PJ Tucker and Filip Petrusev, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/fSOkgO5xd3
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 31, 2023
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the specifics of the Sixers’ draft pick compensation. It includes two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a pick swap.
Draft compensation that the Clippers are sending Philadelphia in James Harden trade, per sources:
– 2026 LAC first-round pick via OKC
– 2028 LAC first-round pick
– Two second round picks
– One pick swap https://t.co/ApsFqTjZ9e— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 31, 2023
The Sixers and Clippers reportedly spent much of the offseason attempting to negotiate a Harden trade. The talks reportedly reached an impasse in recent weeks. However, Wojnarowski reported the two teams “began talking again on a trade over the weekend as it became increasingly untenable for Harden to be incorporated back into the Sixers’ lineup.”
The Sixers, led by new head coach Nick Nurse, are off to a 2-1 start to the season. The players all are buying into Nurse’s new system centered around pace, ball movement and defense. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are both averaging over 30 points per game. Maxey appears well on his way to becoming an All-Star this season. The Harden question that has been looming over the team all offseason has now been resolved. The Sixers are in a much better place post-Harden trade rather than attempting to reincorporate a disgruntled Harden into the lineup.
After trading away Harden, the Sixers are receiving a massive influx of wing players into their rotation. However, the team did reportedly waive veteran Danny Green in order to make space on the roster. The Sixers’ roster, not including two-way contracts, sits at the maximum 15 players post-Harden trade.
What are the Sixers getting from the players they are receiving back in the Harden trade? Morris, a Philadelphia native, provides toughness and outside shooting off the bench. Over the last two years, Morris shot 36.5% from 3-point range on 4.9 attempts per game.
Sixers fans are very familiar with Covington from his time with the team earlier in his career. The 32-year-old forward is a 3-and-D player capable of making an impact on both ends of the floor. Since being traded from the Sixers in the 2018-19 season, Covington has played in four different organizations. His minutes have diminished in recent seasons, but he can still be a productive player. Over the last three seasons, he averaged 7.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 38.1% from beyond the arc.
Batum, a well-traveled NBA veteran, is also going to be a solid addition to the Sixers’ rotation. He has a 7-foot wingspan, helping him have the capability to defend multiple positions. The 34-year old can also shoot well from long distance, connecting on 39.8% of his 3-pointers over the last three seasons.
Martin is by far the youngest player the Sixers are getting in their return for Harden. He is entering just his fourth season in the NBA, but already his explosive athleticism has jumped off the page. He broke out for the Houston Rockets last season, averaging 12.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in a career-high 28 minutes per game.
With Tucker being included in the package going to the Clippers, that opens up a spot in the starting lineup. Tobias Harris will likely slide from small forward to power forward. The likely options to start at small forward include Kelly Oubre Jr. and Covington. The Sixers should start Covington because of his 3-and-D style’s fit with the rest of the starting lineup. Oubre makes sense as the first guy off the bench. His scoring punch is critical to have when the second unit is out on the floor.
The Sixers clearly have more depth throughout their roster after trading away Harden and Tucker. However, this very well might just be the prelude and not the final act. Reports throughout the offseason made clear Sixers’ president of basketball operations Daryl Morey’s desire to add another star player to the roster. Wojnarowski reports the team “wanted to get two first-round picks out of a Harden trade and believe that those assets — coupled with the second-round picks and a pick swap — give them a chance to pursue another high-level guard in a trade.”
The Sixers come out of the Harden trade with increased flexibility moving forward. The team is clearly built around the duo of Embiid and Maxey. The roster around that duo is much better after swapping Harden, who made it clear he wanted out of Philadelphia, for multiple useful players and a significant amount of draft compensation.
The draft compensation is perhaps the most important piece of the return from the Harden deal. The 2026 first-round pick the Sixers are getting from the Oklahoma City Thunder will be the worst of their three first-round picks from that draft, according to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports. The Thunder possess their own pick, a top-4 protected first-round pick from the Rockets and the Clippers’ first-round pick.
The best pick the Sixers are receiving in this trade is the Clippers’ 2028 first-round pick. That pick is likely going to have immense value around the league. The Clippers are going all-in on the trio of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Harden. All of those players are both on the back half of their careers. While the Clippers appear to currently be a good team, it will not likely last past the next few seasons. By 2028 (or sooner), there is a more than fair chance the Clippers are going to be in rebuild mode. Morey, who has a history of wheeling and dealing, will now have all the necessary ammunition to potentially execute another blockbuster trade at some point in the future.
Even if another blockbuster trade does not occur, the Sixers are in a much better place than they were coming into the season. They added to their current roster while retaining all of their future flexibility for either trades or free agency. They have much more ammunition, through expiring contracts and draft compensation, to use to potentially improve the roster at the trade deadline. The Harden trade is a major win on all fronts for the Sixers. The focus can now solely be on what has been a very promising and exciting roster to begin this season.
