Philadelphia 76ers: Josh Hart would sure look good back in Philly

Brett Brown‘s decision to trade Mikal Bridges to the Pheonix Suns will haunt Philadelphia 76ers fans forever.

While it would be cruel and unusual punishment to go over the initial thought process and lasting ramifications of the move, especially since it has been covered about a million times before – like here, for example – it never gets easier to watch the born and bred Philadelphian put up 23 points in a second-round playoff game, especially when he’s hitting 4-8 shots from beyond the arc.

*sigh* insert Kermit loves his phone meme here.

But hey, fear not; even if Bridges will probably play the duration of his NBA career in the Valley on a very lucrative extension doesn’t mean there aren’t other members of Villanova’s most recent championship teams who could be had in the not too distant future. In actuality, the Philadelphia 76ers are fairly well-positioned to procure one of Bridges’ teammates when the season comes to an end if they so choose.

The Philadelphia 76ers could land a former Wildcat after all this offseason.

More from Section 215

Josh Hart‘s NBA career has been weird.

Initially selected as the 30th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, Hart spent his first two years with the NBA in LA before being traded alongside half of his team to the Pelicans as part of the Anthony Davis trade.

In New Orleans, Hart came into his own as a scorer, flipping his career average points per game from 7.9 to 9.7 in 3.3 more minutes of action a night, but saw his overall efficiency and role shrink ever so slightly from last season to this. Whether due to the emergence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker or the decision to play Lonzo Ball off the ball alongside Point Zion, Hart saw his starting opportunities nearly disappear from his third to fourth season, and needless to say, it didn’t go over too well with the 26-year-old.

According to a recent report from Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, Hart believes a change of scenery is the best bet for his prolonged NBA career and may be interested in pursuing a sign-and-trade heading into the 2021 NBA offseason if the Pelicans opts to extend a qualifying offer heading into free agency.

If that happens, expect Daryl Morey and the Sixers to show some interest in Jay Wright’s former keep, as Hart does a lot of the things Philly likes in a winger and could slot into their cap situation better than some other options.

Measuring in at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, Hart is an above-average wing defender with a fundamentally sound shot, good basketball instincts, and a pension for picking off passes in the swing of a play.

Hmm… Who, may I ask, does that sound like? Well, a lot of NBA players really, but most Sixers-specifically it sounds a lot like Danny Green, who boasts a near-identical frame and a relatively analogous style of play. While Green has always been a more consistent 3 point shooter percentage-wise, as he started draining tres at a 40 percent clip by his third professional season, he didn’t start attempting four-plus attempts per game until his third season with the Spurs, a feat Hart was recording in his lone Lakers season playing alongside LeBron James in 2018-19.

Had Hart stuck around with the Lakers instead of Kyle Kuzma – a move that probably would have been better in hindsight – maybe he would have continued to shine in a fifth starter/sixth man off the bench sort of role, one similar to then-teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and his eventual replacement Danny Green. Maybe he could have continued along with his progression, made a few more 3 pointers thanks to more open looks on the wings, and signing a long-term extension with the club wouldn’t even be a question.

But now, with the Pelicans set to be a player for seemingly any free agent they desire, thanks to their cap flexibility, Hart’s future with the team, especially if he doesn’t want to stick around, becomes a whole lot murkier.

Enter your friendly neighborhood Philadelphia 76ers.

Now, to be fair, there are multiple different ways the Sixers could land Hart’s services if they see fit. They could sign him outright with their $5.89 million mid-level exceptions to a deal worth up to three years, but that’s probably less than a team like the New York Knicks would offer in free agency, so that probably wouldn’t work. They could also fold Hart into the Al Horford trade exception if he agrees to a contract worth no more than $8.19 million in 2021-22, in a deal centered solely around draft picks.

Is a 26-year-old Hart on a four-year deal worth $32 million worth a late first-round pick?

And last but certainly not least, the Sixers could execute a sign-and-trade where they ship a player on a similarly-priced contract to the Pelicans to procure his services a la the Josh Richardson-Jimmy Butler deal back in 2019. Such a trade, if executed correctly, could send a player like George Hill or even a sign-and-traded Furkan Korkmaz back to the Pelicans, alongside the relevant draft compensation to even out the deal, and in return, the Sixers could net themselves Hart’s services in addition to any other assets they can pry out of David Griffin’s hands.

The Pelicans did trade for Hill once before and have a thing for surrounding their young corps with veteran talent. Maybe Hill would be enticing in the right deal.

Next. Tobias Harris is the perfect second unit anchor. dark

Will it happen? Eh, only time will tell. The Philadelphia 76ers have already been linked to another ex-Villanova product in a similar sign-and-trade scenario in Kyle Lowry earlier this summer, and while he’s notably older than Josh Hart, he’s also a better player both now and over the next few seasons. Regardless, don’t count out Daryl Morey pulling off some sort of sign-and-trade with a willing partner later when the NBA calendar rolls over later this year, as it’s one of the few avenues the Sixers have at their disposal to land a young, ascending second-contract player under their current cap constraints.