Sixers Notes: Tobias Harris + PJ Tucker Trades? Embiid's Workload, More
Tobias Harris may be the key piece the Sixers have in acquiring a star.
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
The Sixers roster remains not quite filled, with 14 players signed to NBA standard deals -- one short of the regular season maximum. While the possibility of a James Harden trade lingers, it appears nothing is in motion on that front right now. That makes it a good time to talk about what to look out for when it comes to a few key members of the Sixers’ roster:
Joel Embiid: potential load management increase
Embiid played in 68 and 66 games in the last two NBA seasons, playing nearly 2,300 total minutes in each one. That is an astounding figure given Embiid’s well-documented health issues dating back to a rookie season in which he spent the entire season on a minutes restriction without playing both ends of a single back-to-back. The guy who many thought could never be available largely has been just that.
Embiid dealt with a few nagging injuries during the regular season last year, as he typically does. But he still played 66 games, and in those games averaged 34.6 minutes per game, 20th-most in the NBA among players with at least 66 games played. That is not inconceivable and it is also not horrifically dangerous. It is probably overkill, though.
As Nick Nurse begins his first year coaching the Sixers, he brings with him experience in being cautious about the workload of his best player -- Nurse spent a season load-managing Kawhi Leonard, a player famous for his strict injury maintenance.
You might be thinking, “this sounds familiar.” You would be right: this is almost exactly what was said about Doc Rivers when he entered his first year coaching the Sixers. The point: easier said than done.
Embiid, of course, captured his first Most Valuable Player trophy this season. The race between Embiid and reigning two-time MVP (and eventual NBA Finals champion and MVP) Nikola Jokic was, in the eyes of some, one of the reasons the first-time winner had the massive workload that he did. And an MVP trophy permanently changes the status and legacy of a superstar. Going for it should not be viewed as a negative.
With that mission being accomplished now, could Embiid’s regular season duties be scaled back in hopes of delivering him to the playoffs in better condition than he has ever been before? Even with new awards and All-NBA qualifying rules, which require reaching a 65-game threshold to be eligible, it stands to reason that Embiid’s workload could diminish leading up to April, May and (hopefully) June, so that he is the best version of himself in those months.
James Harden + PJ Tucker: should Tucker be part of a Harden trade?
Harden is far from Tucker’s only ally within the organization, but if the Sixers do move the former MVP, presumably for multiple valuable role players and draft compensation, perhaps they will consider also jettisoning Tucker, whose on-court value last season was largely tied to his ability to play off of Harden. At this point of his career, Tucker is almost designed specifically to cater to a playmaker such as Harden.
Tucker, 38, is due more than $11 million this upcoming season, with a player option for even more in the 2024-25 season. While that is an undesirable contract for many NBA teams, one that is all-in on Harden would likely stomach it -- Tucker’s deal, while longer and heavier than a team would like, is certainly not immovable, nor is it a massive impediment to team-building.
Tobias Harris: the unexpected key to acquiring a star
Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey is aiming to salvage the Harden situation by exchanging him for another star worthy of being the Robin to Embiid’s Batman. He has said as much publicly since Harden’s trade request was made.
But if Harden’s malaise could escalate -- and in turn so would his efforts to force a trade. If that does happen and Morey finally settles on moving Harden for a collection of role players and draft picks -- with the intention of figuring out how to turn what remains on the roster into a star later -- Harris’ massive expiring contract worth more than $39 million comes into play.
Harris is projected to be the 18th highest-paid player in the NBA in the upcoming season, and that means he makes enough to be salary filler in a trade for just about any player who could conceivably become available.
What if the Sixers traded Harden for two solid role players, one young player and a draft pick, then packaged the latter two assets with some of their own available picks, and attached those to Harris to flip him for someone they can call a star?
It may not be possible. If it is, it will not be easy. It could require an unexpected trade request elsewhere in the league. But there is a path to a solid audible here.
Patrick Beverley: secret wing help
On paper, the Sixers are extremely thin on the wing right now. They have Harris and Tucker penciled in as starters. They rely on De’Anthony Melton to guard above his size at times. But they only have two other true wings on their roster, Danuel House Jr. and Furkan Korkmaz. House Jr. was in and out of the rotation all year, while Korkmaz is now multiple years into barely seeing any action.
The Sixers still have access to the taxpayer’s mid-level exception, worth a maximum of two years and $10.2 million in free agency. They could (should?) add another wing to fill that 15th and final roster spot. But if they decline to use it for now, Nurse and his coaching staff must be creative -- of course, creativity and a willingness to try unorthodox looks are pillars of Nurse’s style -- in defending the Jayson Tatums, Jaylen Browns, Jimmy Butlers and Mikal Bridgeses of the world.
Enter Patrick Beverley, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound bulldog crazy enough to guard guys half a foot taller than him with confidence.
“I’ve been fortunate to be kind of small in size but kind of big in heart, you might say,” Beverley said in a media availability held at the team’s Camden, NJ practice facility last month. “I live in the weight room, so my strength for a 6-1 guy isn’t normal… you know, I’m a basketball player, you can put me out there on anybody, I’mma play basketball, I’mma play well and I’mma find a way to impact winning and lead the team.”
“I wish I was 6-5,” Beverley quipped. “Mom, I wish you would’ve found a guy that was a little taller than Dad! Unfortunately I’m 6-1, I don’t think that shit’s changing anytime soon.”
Jokes aside, Beverley has a tremendous amount of experience guarding above his height and weight class. He may not be the traditional antidote to a shortage of viable wing defenders. But the Sixers may ask him to be just that.