The Argument Against Philadelphia 76ers Trading for James Harden | Bleacher

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Almost since the moment Daryl Morey took over as president of basketball operations in Philadelphia, the 76ers have been tied to James Harden. Don’t forget: Morey nearly traded Ben Simmons for Harden before the guard landed with the Brooklyn Nets last season.

As fate would have it just over a year later, Morey is looking yet again to reunite with his Houston running mate.

The question is: Is a Harden trade worth it at the deadline? Or at all?

Philadelphia is 31-21 and two games out of first place in the Eastern Conference, two games ahead of Brooklyn. Joel Embiid is currently the front-runner for MVP, per FanDuel. All of this with Simmons, who is waiting to be traded, not suiting up for a single game this season.

However, the Sixers need to add firepower for a run at a title. They have been scouring the trade market, using Simmons as the focal point to find that missing piece or pieces.

The rumor mill has been swirling since the season began about Morey’s interest in Harden. It seemed unrealistic early in the year, but after resisting the initial push, the Nets appear open to trading Harden to Philadelphia, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

But it’s not the right deal for Philadelphia.

Not a Pick-and-Roll Fit

A Harden-Embiid pick-and-roll might seem unstoppable. A former MVP and a possible future MVP playing a two-man game should be able to score at will. But Harden and Embiid use ball screens differently.

Harden is a master pick-and-roll manipulator. He takes his time to set his defender up for the screen and as he comes off has a bevy of options. He can come off for a three, get to the rim, drive in and go to a stepback or ultimately end up at the line.

If Harden is not going to score, he does a great job gathering assists, usually to the roller or spraying it out to shooters. He has the most success with a big man who rolls hard to the rim, putting pressure on the defense. Bigs such as Clint Capela and Nicolas Claxton have been ideal pick-and-roll partners.

Embiid this season has rolled to the basket on just 21 percent of the possessions where he has been a screener, according to Synergy Sports. He prefers to set the screen and pop. That usually flows into another action for the Sixers, such as a dribble hand-off with Seth Curry or Tyrese Maxey.

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Of course, if Embiid and Harden team up, Embiid would likely be more willing to roll to the rim on pick-and-rolls. That said, the Sixers’ pick-and-roll might not be as fluid.

Harden and a Post-Up Big

The only big man Harden has played with who came even close to Embiid was Dwight Howard. That pairing lasted only three seasons (2013-14 to 2015-16), and it did not end on good terms. Howard wanted more post touches, and the Rockets were not looking to run the offense that way.

One thing is clear: Howard was not nearly the post threat that Embiid is. Embiid’s post-ups make up 38.5 percent of his possessions, and the Sixers score 1.08 points per possession (post-ups including passes), according to Synergy.

Over the years, even with Brooklyn, Harden has become increasingly less effective when the ball is out of his hands. He is a…