completely out and it's not even a discussion. Morey can find a way to sign Harden in free agency if he wants him so bad. Imagine trading Harden to take on Horford's contract.
This should have a HUGE tag like "[speculation]" or "[random thought] or something. OP had me holding my breath as I clicked the thread.
Even if you were being serious. Westbrook / Thybulle / Covington / Simmons / Horford Simmons: Can't shoot. Would eat up Westbrook's spacing. Can create, but for whom? There's not a solid 3 point shooter in the starting 5. Thybulle: Plays GREAT defense, but can't shoot. iirc his shooting percentages are almost as bad as Westbrook's. Horford: Too expensive and doesn't fit our offense. Hard pass.
IF Harden wants out then I'm not against it. He might be the only young star that's available that you can actually build around. Tatum, Luka, Bam, Trae, Zion, Booker and Morant are likely all untouchable. Other than that maybe Fox or Murray could be had but I would still prefer to build around Ben than those two.
I'm a huge believer in Ben and the player he will become. Separate him from Embiid and it will be much more evident. But, at this point, I see James being worth the equivalent of Ben + another #1 overall pick. (at minimum)That's close to true value IMO. So, no...While I wouldn't do the deal proposed above, I definitely want Ben Simmons. And, I'm certainly not averse to getting the rebuild started by moving James sooner rather than later. We better be getting THE WORLD in return or "NO DEAL". I'd already be quietly listening to offers.
