The Philadelphia 76ers are neatly set up ahead of the 2024-25 season as an undisputed contender not only in the East, but in the entire league — a drastic reversal from what unfolded at this point in previously when chaos engulfed the team from every angle possible.
If you need a refresher, that was the somehow still-fresh blockbuster trade that sent disgruntled All-Star Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets for James Harden, then fulfilling a seemingly inescapable situation where the stagnant star held the team hostage after a holding out for an entire season.
Revisiting the trade, Bleacher Report issued the 76ers a grade of “C+” in the trade, doubling down on the fact that Harden never pushed the franchise beyond the proverbial second-round dash line and eventually had to blackjack his way out of Philly after a summer-long strife with team president Daryl Morey.
B/R did acknowledge Morey’s savvy play in managing to flip Harden in another hostage situation to the Clippers for an expansive weaponry of role players and considerable stash of draft picks. However, the omission of the deal unlocking Tyrese Maxey should be given some positive, pendulum-swinging weight in light of that puny evaluation.
Put simply, had the 76ers not pulled off a switcheroo between Simmons and Harden, then Harden to Nicolas Batum, et al., they would not have had a breakout season from Maxey, who benefited from his previous backcourt co-star’s massive void. In addition, the gigantic finnancial legroom they enjoyed this offseason would not have existed in the first place.
The current plot is that Philadelphia did an outstanding job pivoting from two, simultaneous ugly situations and avoiding that snowball, but in reality, it would not have been possible sans the franchise taking a beating and a step back at some point.
