- Sixers center Joel Embiid has bonded with assistant coach Dan Burke, who ripped him as a Pacers assistant last season. Burke claimed then that Embiid “gets away with a bunch of (stuff).” Embiid doesn’t harbor any grudges, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I think he’s a great guy,” Embiid said. “We’ve actually been very close since we got here. I think him and the whole coaching staff is going to kind of look at me to kind of be the driving force of the defense.”
Philadelphia is considered the most likely landing spot for James Harden if and when the Rockets decide to trade him, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter links).
As Stein explains, the Rockets are insisting for now that they won’t move Harden and the Sixers are saying they won’t move Ben Simmons, so nothing is imminent. However, sources tell Stein that the familiarity between the two front offices will be important in trade talks and can help defuse lingering tension related to Daryl Morey‘s departure from Houston.
The 76ers are one of the four teams believed to be among Harden’s list of preferred destinations, along with the Nets, Heat, and Bucks. Of those four clubs, Philadelphia is best positioned to meet Houston’s reported asking price of an All-Star caliber franchise cornerstone in return for Harden.
New Sixers head coach Doc Rivers has reportedly made it clear – both publicly and privately – that he wants an opportunity to see if he can maximize the on-court fit of Simmons and star center Joel Embiid, something former coach Brett Brown was never quite able to do.
As such, Morey and the 76ers are unlikely to be open to offering Simmons to the Rockets anytime soon. However, if no player as valuable as the 24-year-old is on the table from any other suitors, it makes sense for Houston to wait to see whether or not Simmons’ fit with Embiid improves — if it doesn’t, it’s possible the Sixers would make the former No. 1 overall pick available.
Without Simmons in their offer, it’s hard to see how the Sixers could put together a compelling package for Harden, so if Morey ultimately decides to hang onto the fifth-year guard, the Rockets will almost certainly have to look elsewhere.
- New Sixers swingman Danny Green will be bringing a championship pedigree and veteran leadership to his new club, as Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer details. Green has started for three title teams, including the two most recent champions. New Sixers head coach Doc Rivers applauded Green’s “unbelievable” shooting during his first practice for Philadelphia.
- Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link) provides some additional details on the Al Horford/Danny Green trade, reporting that the $2MM sent from the Sixers to the Thunder in the deal will actually convey in 2027, and only if Philadelphia’s first-round pick has been protected in 2025, 2026, and 2027. That money still counts toward the 76ers’ traded cash limit for this season, however.
James Harden now has the Bucks and Heat among his preferred trade destinations, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Milwaukee and Miami join Brooklyn and Philadelphia as the top landing spots on Harden’s wish list.
As we observed on Tuesday when we wrote about Harden adding the Sixers to his list of preferred destinations, the Rockets are under no obligation to send the former MVP to one of the teams on his list, since he has multiple years left on his contract and doesn’t have the ability to veto trades. However, it’s possible those clubs would be more willing to offer significant packages for Harden if they know he wants to play for them.
Neither Milwaukee nor Miami looks like an ideal trade partner for Houston, however, given the Rockets’ asking price of an All-Star caliber player plus several young players and/or draft picks. Both the Bucks and Heat have traded away multiple future first-round picks and/or pick swaps, compromising their ability to build an offer heavy on draft assets.
As for potential centerpieces, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo would presumably be off the table in any deal with Miami, while Milwaukee obviously isn’t moving Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks have other former All-Stars in Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, but neither is on a particularly team-friendly contract — Middleton is owed $147MM over four years, while Holiday can reach free agency in 2021. Tyler Herro would be an intriguing target in any deal with the Heat, but has only played one season, so the Rockets would have to be awfully high on his potential to accept a package built around him.
The Nets and 76ers are still atop Harden’s wish list, according to Charania, who says the 31-year-old has been “resigned to the belief” that he can no longer compete for a championship in Houston.
However, Charania hears that the Rockets have no interest in a Brooklyn offer that doesn’t include Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving. A Sixers offer would likely have to include Ben Simmons, but new head coach Doc Rivers has “privately made clear” that he wants an opportunity to try to maximize the potential of the Simmons/Joel Embiid duo, Charania writes.
General manager Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia front office, having added sharpshooters Seth Curry and Danny Green to complement Simmons and Embiid, appear committed to keeping their two young stars for the time being.
Harden is currently going through the NBA’s coronavirus testing process and will have to register six negative tests before he’s cleared to practice with the Rockets. According to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, Harden only requires three negative tests to begin individual workouts, and Charania suggests the superstar guard is expected to have a workout in front of team personnel soon.
According to Charania, Harden has “maintained a dialogue” with trusted Rockets assistant coach John Lucas, even as he has been non-communicative at times with the club’s front office.
Wednesday, December 9 is the last day that NBA teams can waive players and stretch their 2020/21 cap hits across three seasons, as Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Stretch Provision]
In a normal NBA league year, the last day to stretch a player’s current salary would be August 31, but that deadline was pushed back along with most of this year’s other key NBA dates due to the league’s schedule changes.
After Wednesday, players who are released for the rest of the season can have their cap hits in 2021/22 and future seasons stretched, but their ’20/21 cap charges will remain unchanged unless they reach a buyout agreement.
As Marks observes, only three players – Nicolas Batum (Hornets), Dewayne Dedmon (Pistons), and Zhaire Smith (Pistons) have been waived and stretched since the start of the 2020/21 league year, which is tied for the lowest mark in any season since the stretch provision was introduced in 2011.
However, there are still some situations worth keeping an eye on in advance of today’s deadline, especially for clubs over the luxury tax line. John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link) points to the Pacers (Jalen Lecque) and Sixers (Vincent Poirier) as two teams to watch.
Stretching Lecque’s modest $1.52MM salary would allow Indiana to sneak below the luxury tax line, while stretching Poirier would reduce Philadelphia’s projected tax bill.
NBA coaches were permitted to wear casual attire during the restart. They’ll be allowed to wear polo shirts once again during the upcoming season but they’ll also have to mask up, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). NBA coaches have traditionally worn suits but they’ll no longer be required to don sports jackets. However, track pants will not be allowed.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- The Wizards are in discussions with the Pelicans to combine their G League teams — the Capital City Go-Go and Erie Bayhawks — at the proposed Atlanta bubble, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. That would allow the NBA teams to split the costs of the proposed condensed season. The entry fee per team is anticipated to be in the neighborhood of $500K.
- Former NBA guard Wayne Selden has signed with Israel’s Ironi Ness Ziona, as Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia relays. Seiden played a combined 75 games with the Grizzlies and Bulls during the 2018/19 season. He saw action in 11 G League games last season after a stint in China.
- The Warriors have a projected luxury tax penalty of $147MM based on their current 2020/21 salary obligations, according to the numbers crunched by Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The Nets ($59MM) and Sixers ($24MM) are the only other teams with tax bills above $9MM. However, those projected penalties will get reduced based on revenue loss this season and roster cuts by opening night, Marks adds.
- Despite a long list of COVID-19 protocols, the NBA will face plenty of challenges during the upcoming season without the protection afforded by the Orlando campus, Steve Popper of Newsday writes. No matter how many precautions the league institutes, it will need plenty of luck to pull this season off.
Nearly three weeks after first agreeing to terms, the Sixers were finally able to complete their six-player trade with the Thunder today, acquiring Danny Green, Terrance Ferguson, and Vincent Poirier in the deal.
According to Derek Bodner of The Athletic (Twitter link), one minor aspect of the deal was previously unreported, as the 76ers sent $2MM in cash to Oklahoma City to complete the move. That amount will count toward the $5.617MM limit that Philadelphia can sent out in trades over the course of the 2020/21 league year.
Here’s more out of Philadelphia:
- Tyrese Maxey and Mike Scott received clearance to participate in non-contact drills today and are expected to join the team’s group workouts on Wednesday, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Maxey and Scott had to clear the NBA’s coronavirus protocols after registering positive tests.
- Addressing the James Harden trade rumors connecting the Sixers to the Rockets star, head coach Doc Rivers said he’s making it clear to his players that those rumors aren’t coming from Philadelphia’s side (Twitter link via Pompey). “You know, as long as you don’t hear them from us, you should be very comfortable,” Rivers said. “We like our team, man. I tell you, that team I just watched out there (at practice) is really special.”
- Rivers’ comments were in response to a report that said Harden has indicated to Houston that he’d be open to a trade to Philadelphia. In an Insider-only story, ESPN’s Bobby Marks explores which teams could realistically make a play for Harden, noting that any 76ers offer would almost certainly have to start with Ben Simmons.
Prior to the start of training camp, James Harden indicated to the Rockets that he’d be open to a trade to the Sixers or possibly another contending team, sources tell Tim MacMahon and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Most previous reports suggested that Harden was singularly focused on being dealt to the Nets, though Shams Charania of The Athletic has reported that Philadelphia was also believed to be near the top of his wish list. The 76ers’ front office is, of course, being run by former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.
According to MacMahon and Wojnarowski, once it became clear there was no traction in talks between Houston and the Nets, Harden expressed to the Rockets that he’d be open to a move to Philadelphia. The eight-time All-Star also signaled that there may be other teams that fit his criteria, sources tell ESPN. Harden is said to be seeking a home where he can realistically contend for a championship.
Of course, Harden still has two years remaining on his contract, plus a player option for 2022/23, and he doesn’t have the ability to veto a deal, so the Rockets are free to move him to any team. Still, ESPN’s duo notes that few teams have the pieces necessary to meet Houston’s current asking price — plus, clubs will be reluctant to give up a massive trade package for Harden if they’re not confident that he’ll be willing to stick around beyond 2022.
The Rockets haven’t adjusted their reported asking price for Harden, per MacMahon and Wojnarowski. That asking price is believed to include a young All-Star caliber player, plus several first-round picks and/or promising players on rookie contracts, sources tell ESPN.
The Sixers are one of the few teams that have the kind of young player who could appeal to Houston as the centerpiece of a package — Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have each made All-NBA teams and haven’t meshed perfectly in recent years. However, Morey has said he has no plans to break up that duo, and the 76ers and Rockets haven’t had any substantive talks about a Harden deal, sources tell MacMahon and Woj.
As of Monday, Harden had yet to report to the Rockets for training camp. We recapped the latest updates on his situation in a story earlier today.
The Sixers and Thunder have officially finalized a trade agreement that was reached prior to the draft last month, formally announcing today that Al Horford has been sent to Oklahoma City.
Along with Horford, the Thunder also acquired the draft rights to No. 34 pick Theo Maledon, the draft rights to 2014 second-round pick Vasilije Micic, and the Sixers’ 2025 first-round pick (top-six protected).
The 76ers, meanwhile, add veteran shooting guard Danny Green, fourth-year wing Terrance Ferguson, and French big man Vincent Poirier in the swap.
As cap expert Albert Nahmad (Twitter link) and others have explained, the two teams decided to wait until today to finalize the trade because trade restrictions have now lifted on Green and Poirier, who were moved in separate deals last month and couldn’t have their salaries aggregated in a second trade until December 8.
Oklahoma City could have completed the trade without aggregating Green’s and Poirier’s salaries to match Horford’s $27.5MM cap hit, but it would have required the team to use its recently-created $27.5MM traded player exception. The Thunder will now be able to hang onto that exception – created in the Steven Adams deal – to use later this season or early in the 2021 offseason.
Poirier wasn’t initially reported as being part of the trade, but his inclusion was required for salary-matching purposes, since the Thunder didn’t use their TPE. Philadelphia can slide his $2.62MM salary into the $2.66MM trade exception created in last month’s Josh Richardson deal, allowing the Sixers to generate a new $8.1MM TPE in today’s transaction.
It’s not clear whether the Thunder intend to hang onto Horford for the entire 2020/21 season, since the team’s primary motive for the deal was acquiring the future first-round pick, Maledon, and Micic. It’s possible Oklahoma City will take a similar approach to Horford that it did to Chris Paul a year ago, hoping that he can increase his future trade value with a solid season. For now, his pricey multiyear contract will make him difficult to flip.
As for the Sixers, they saved some short- and long-term money in the deal and added at least one rotation player. Green, who has won titles in each of the last two years, will give the club another solid outside shooter — he has made 40.0% of his career attempts from beyond the arc.
Ferguson, meanwhile, took a step back in 2019/20 but had a promising ’18/19 season at age 20 (6.9 PPG with a .366 3PT%) and should compete for minutes on the wing. It’s unclear whether or not Poirier is part of the club’s plans. He may compete with non-guaranteed players like Ryan Broekhoff and Justin Anderson for the final spot on the regular season roster.
All of the NBA trades agreed upon this offseason have now been officially completed, as our tracker shows.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.