From Shams:

There’s no way Harden comes to Philly without Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid going in the opposite direction. And Daryl Morey really seems to love Embiid, so it would be Simmons or nothing. Right? We’re on the same page with that, yeah?

I’m on the record saying you don’t break up Simmons and Embiid without giving another coach a shot at making it work, but if Harden is available you HAVE to think about it. Harden is incredibly boring to watch, but he’s the league’s premier isolation and pick and roll scorer, and if you pair him with Embiid, that’s one of the best 1-2 punches out there. That pair can get to the free throw line 20+ times per game, and even though the games will last four hours, they will win at least 50 of them.

You have to at least entertain a Harden trade. The other thing to consider is him teaming up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and then now what? You’ve gotta go through Brooklyn, Boston, Miami, and Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference.

It’s a lot to think about.

Daryl Morey, time’s yours.