Philadelphia 76ers: The Tobias Harris trade completes the Process

After dropping another loss to the Raptors, the Philadelphia 76ers just swung for the fences with a blockbuster trade to acquire Tobias Harris and Boban Marjanovic… yes really.

Philadelphia 76ers fans, meet your new team for the foreseeable future.

That’s right, the ‘Process’ is officially dead, as the 76ers have cashed in the vast majority of their remaining assets to go all-in on a championship Big-5 by making a 3 am trade to acquire Tobias Harris from the Los Angeles Clippers.

But wait, there’s more.

Not only did the 76ers’ acquire their next great swing forward to pair with Ben Simmons for the going forward, but they also snagged a statistical darling to back up Joel Embiid full-time in Boban Marjanovic, and a stretch four shooter in Mike Scott.

The price? Landry Shamet, Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, their 2020 first round pick, a 2021 second round pick, Miami’s 2021 first round pick, and a 2023 second round pick.

Honestly, I’m surprised Woj was able to fit that all into a single tweet (he didn’t).

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Wow, as a 76ers fan I am officially shook. Like, this trade came out of nowhere. We’ve seen a slew of rumors about potential Anthony Davis deals, rumbling about who will end up with Marc Gasol, and evena  potential move that would ship Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas to Memphis for their top-two players, but this deal? Nothing.

No rumors, no real smoke, but here we are, at the precipice of the ‘Finishline’ with a new look 76ers roster that will all but certainly be the team’s core moving forward.

I doubt this is how Sam Hinkie envisioned his ‘Process’ working out, but you can’t argue with the results.

The 76ers now have four All-Stars-caliber players, twice as many as the Eastern Conference’s second most decorated roster (a tie between the Celtics and the Raptors), with a plan (per WOJ) to retain the fearsome foursome moving forward.

This is no rental ladies and gentlemen.

While the move does come at the cost of Shamet, the 76ers best bench player and a guy many (i.e. me) envisioned as an eventual replacement for J.J. Redick as a long-term starting two-guard, Harris is an absolute beast, who’s averaging 20.7 points and 7.9 points while knocking down 3s at an insane 42.2 percent.

Those numbers would rank second, third and first overall on the 76ers roster right now, and he did so as the unquestioned number one option for the Clippers over the last 54 games. On the 76ers, Harris is maybe the team’s third-best offensive weapon and third-best defensive wing.

Yes, you read that right: A player averaging 20.7, 7.9, and 42.2 from downtown may be the 76ers’ third option at either end of the court. How on earth is anyone going to guard that?

Furthermore, while the decision to move on from Shamet is a tough pill to swallow, the Sixers have acquired a legitimate backup center in Marjanovic, who can body opposing centers in the paint, and is only averaging about 10 minutes of action a night. As I highlighted here, the 76ers can’t keep an amazing backup center because Embiid plays 34 minutes a night, so swapping out Muscala for Boban looks like a clear improvement.

Speaking of Muscala, the 76ers have also effectively swapped him out for his improved version in Mike Scott, a 6-foot-8 stretch four who’s knocking down tres at a 38 percent clip, much better than Moose’s 34.5.

Just to reiterate, the 76ers swapped out their best shooter (statistically) for a better shooter who also happens to be an ideal 3-4 combo forward who can play perfectly next to Simmons and make the team’s defense even more switchable, a very ineffective forward in Wilson Chandler for a bully ball center in Boban Marjanovic, and a stretch four for an even more effective stretch four.

And best of all? The 76ers still have plenty of second-round picks, Furkan Korkmaz, Markelle Fultz, and a vacant roster spot. For all we know, there’s still another move to be made (my guess? Re-sign Shake Milton).

So after months of toeing the line and calling the team’s roster a ‘work in progress,’ Elton Brand (himself a former Clipper) has officially placed his stamp on the Philadelphia 76ers roster. For his sake, let’s hope this one elevates the team from a fourth seed in the Eastern Conference to a perennial NBA Championship contender