The time has come, we’re just one day away from another new beginning in 76ers land. The 76ers have seemingly found Joel Embiid a co-star in James Harden. Hopefully Harden is indeed the Robin the 76ers have been looking for after several omissions.
These failed attempts have come in the draft and via trade. Twice the 76ers have held the #1 pick since Embiid’s arrival and each time the 76ers had acquired fool’s gold. 2016’s #1 pick Ben Simmons peaked in his second season and has had arguably the most scrutinized holdout in NBA history. He’ll never provide enough scoring to be a number two option on a title contender. Just a year later the 76ers traded up to pick #1 again and drafted Markelle Fultz. Fultz somehow forgot how to shoot once he got to the NBA.
After missing on those two picks the 76ers made some bold trades and signings that never panned out either. First they acquired Jimmy Butler who was probably the best version of a number two option as we’ve seen to date. Unfortunately, Jimmy didn’t see a long term fit given Simmons unwillingness to shoot. He was later traded for pennies on the dollar. That same season we traded for Tobias Harris and extended him to a max contract in the following offseason. Now Tobias is one of the better players in the league and a fringe all-star. He’ll never be a number two option. To add insult to injury he’s grossly overpaid. Then there’s the disastrous Al Horford signing that I don’t want to even get into.
Now the question remains is Harden the answer? Only time will tell. He has about twenty regular season games and the playoffs to give us an idea. He’s then an impending unrestricted free-agent. We could possibly lose him for nothing with little to show for. The ideal scenario is that the 76ers win the NBA Championship this year, sign Harden to a team friendly extension, and then sign another star player. Wishful thinking? Maybe, but after 39 years without a parade down Broad Street it’s all a 76ers can do at this point.
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