The Philadelphia 76ers have played very well so far this season. They entered the playoffs with the third place in the East in the regular season, and swept the Nets 4-0 in the first round of the series to advance to the second round. Embiid is expected to win the first regular season MVP in his career, while Harden won the assists title with 10.8 assists per game. Under the leadership of these two superstars, the 76ers are getting closer and closer to the championship goal. However, the intensity of the playoffs can’t be mentioned in the same breath as that of the regular season. Athletes’ physical consumption is very high. Embiid was absent because of knee injury, and Harden’s hamstring has always been hidden. They all have no experience in winning the championship, so it is inevitable that they will be weak when facing more powerful opponents in the playoffs. If there is no big accident, the 76ers will face the stronger Celtics in the second round of series. As we all know, the Celtics broke into the NBA finals last season. Under the leadership of Shuang Tanhua, they played very hard at both ends of the offense and defense. It is very difficult for the 76ers to break through the Celtics.
Once the 76ers stop in the second round, Harden is likely to choose to leave. After all, he sacrificed his position as the team leader and high salary in order to win the championship. Harden’s performance in the first round of the playoffs is not satisfactory, and the management of the 76 ers may not meet his five-year salary renewal demand. At the same time, Harden’s old club, the Rockets, launched a strong pursuit for him. On the one hand, it was the temptation to go home and the hard-to-refuse top salary. On the other hand, it was blindly asking for it, ignoring his emotions. Harden’s choice would hardly be in suspense. However, the management of the 76ers didn’t want to send Harden away for nothing, which would make them lose the chance to continue to attack the championship, so a deal of signing first and then changing came into being. According to James Pearcey, a reporter from the US media bleachers, the 76ers and Clippers plan to make a 1-for-1 swap deal this summer. If the negotiation goes well, Paul George will go to Philadelphia to assist the great Embiid. The specific transaction plan is: the 76ers will send James Harden to get Paul George of the Clippers.
The prerequisite for this deal is that Harden agrees to a deal plan of signing first and then exchanging. L.A. is Harden’s birthplace, leonard is a super league, and the Clippers have his favorite head coach Tyrone Lu and a group of outstanding role players. Harden has no reason to refuse another chance to compete for the championship. Although the Rockets are his potential next home, today’s Rockets are a team composed of young players. No one doubts that Harden’s return can help the team improve its record quickly. But in the long run, there is a huge age gap between Harden and the young players in the team. When young players such as Jay Green, jabari Smith and Shen Jing grow up, Harden estimates that he has entered the twilight of his career, and his top salary contract may become an obstacle to the continued development of the Rockets. The combination of the two may lead to double losses, so for Harden, joining the Clippers is far more attractive than returning to the Rockets.
For the 76ers, Maxi’s rapid growth provided them with the confidence to send Harden away. At least from the performance in the playoffs, Maxi’s role seems to be more prominent. The 76ers have always lacked a star with strong comprehensive strength in the front line. Harris is good at attacking and PJ- Tucker is good at defending, but they all have their own shortcomings and are easy to be used by opponents. Paul George is one of the few offensive and defensive players in the league. He not only has a variety of offensive means, but also has various ways to send the ball to the basket, and he can also be the best defender of the team on the outside. The 76ers’ acquisition of George can make the overall lineup structure more balanced, which will help them to continue to attack the championship.