Philadelphia 76ers: Zach Lowe shares a Tobias Harris conspiracy theory

Welp, James Harden has been a member of the Philadelphia 76ers for all of… well, zero games, and there are already rumors from national basketball personalities about trading for a third star. I’d say I’m surprised, but honestly, when you cover the Sixers, is that even possible?

*exhales*

On the most recent episode of The Lowe Post, Zach Lowe informed SI’s Howard Beck about a rumor spinning around NBA circles that Harden might ultimately turn down his 2022-23 option, sign a less lucrative max contract with the Sixers, and then allow the team to free up near-max contract money by trading away Tobias Harris, Furkan Korkmaz, and Danny Green, who can be waived outright since his contract isn’t guaranteed.

That’s… a lot. Now granted, as even Lowe pointed out, Harden stated that he extends to pick up his option at the end of the season during his introductory press conference and intends to remain in Philadelphia for the foreseeable future, but honestly, if Daryl Morey comes with a scheme to secure a third superstar in addition to Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle, would “The Beard” laugh him out of the building?

I sort of doubt that it.

Alright, so assuming Zach Lowe’s theory is correct and the Tobias Harris era could finally be coming to an end, who could be that elusive third star, and what would it cost to get such a deal done?

How realistic is the Philadelphia 76ers’ alleged pursuit of a third star?

First and foremost, let’s address the elephant in the room right from the jump: The Philadelphia 76ers are no longer what you would call an asset-rich team. Outside of a few second-rounders, the team has fully emptied the war chest of draft assets assembled by Sam Hinkie.

To move off of Tobias Harris’ contract, some assumed it would cost as many as two first-round picks, as there aren’t very many teams with the cap space needed to take on the money, and most of those teams aren’t really looking to land a soon-to-be 30-year-old ISO-heavy forward. With no first-rounders tradeable for the foreseeable future – unless, of course, the team drafts and then trades a player – that’s going to be hard to do, even if Harris elevates his status down the stretch.

But hey, for the sake of argument, let’s say it can happen. Let’s say the OKC Thunder love a few of the young guys and are willing to take on Harris’ money to get them in the building; which players would the Sixers target as their third star?

That’s…unclear.

Now, as you may or may not know, the 2022 free agent class is considered underwhelming. Outside of Zach LeVine, who will likely remain in Chicago on a max contract, there isn’t a single recent free agent who will hit the market as an unrestricted free agent. When you expand the talent pool out to those with player options, 18 more players become available, but only four; John Wall, Bradley Beal, Kyrie Irving, and Russell Westbrook, are currently playing on max contracts.

Outside of Beal, who has been incredibly loyal to Washington and just had season-ending wrist surgery, do any of those names strike fear into the hearts of opposing teams? I mean, Harden has played with Wall, Irving, and Westbrook so far this decade, and that’s a big reason why he’s in Philadelphia right now.

… okay, so outside of Beal, who is an intriguing though redundant option next to Harden and Maxey, are there any options left? A disgruntled star? A team option that is unlikely to be conveyed? A sign-and-trade? Unless the team really likes Jalen Brunson, wants to execute sign-and-trade for Collin Sexton, or believes there’s a chance Miles Bridges is attainable – which is possible but doubtful – I just don’t see how this one comes to fruition.

Is there still a chance the Philadelphia 76ers move on from Tobias Harris this offseason? Yes, despite all of the praise James Harden put on his new teammate, if things don’t mesh on the court, moving on from Harris makes more sense than either Harden or Joel Embiid. But after trading most of their assets to get a deal done at the deadline, the now-Ben Simmons-less Philadelphia 76ers arent exactly flush with assets to make such a deal possible, especially in a season where there isn’t an obvious third option on the market. Better to get lucky in the trade market for a young player or sign a legitimate contributor with the mid-level exception than hope that somehow, someway, a third star makes his way to the City of Brotherly Love.