OKC Thunder: 2 last-second multi-team James Harden blockbusters

Trade No. 2) Houston gets Simmons, 76ers get Harden, OKC gets young assets

Perhaps the most popular framework for any recently concocted James Harden trade has been a swap for All-Star Ben Simmons which, easily, would be the best player received in return for the superstar in any realistic package.

Already considered one of the league’s best two-way players at just 24-years-old, the intriguing part about all of this for Houston is the fact that Simmons has yet to even enter his prime. His combination of size, speed, and playmaking allow him to positively impact every aspect of a game on both ends of the floor and easily makes him a threat to secure a triple-double every night, thus mitigating the loss of this nightly potential from Harden.

Why the Philadelphia 76ers do it

To start the season, the Philadelphia 76ers have already proven to be one of the top teams, not just in the Eastern conference but, frankly, in the entire NBA.

Boasting an 8-4 record, they are currently in possession of the third-best start to 2020-21 and trail only the Boston Celtics in the east’s standings.

Joel Embiid is playing like an MVP frontrunner and Doc Rivers is having fans realize what the 76ers have been missing out on all these years with a mediocre coach running the show.

The scary part about this all is that they have the chance to get even more menacing with a trade such as this.

Bringing on Harden, they’d have the best dynamic-duo in the entire association and would prove to be an absolute menace of a squad to try and stop on offense.

Not only do they receive Harden, however, but they also bring on the likes of George Hill, a player who has been linked to the franchise already this season as a suitable trade target.

He could help space the floor and play sound defense for the team while also giving Rivers the option to have him either come off the bench or run alongside Harden in the starting lineup.

Why the Houston Rockets do it

Like we said, the main draw for this deal is the idea of bringing on Ben Simmons who, through 10 games played, is finding himself average a near triple-double of 12.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and over a block per game on 52 percent shooting from the field.

Though he has played point guard for the majority of his career, with his skill set on both ends of the floor coupled with his insane stature of 6-10, 240-pounds he can essentially play any position from one to five, allowing Houston to run more of a positionless scheme than perhaps ever before.

Not only would they be bringing on Simmons, however, but also the sharpshooter Seth Curry and the impressive rookie talent Tyrese Maxey who, through 12 games, is playing like a 2020 draft steal, as he’s posting averages of 11 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.6 rebounds on 48 percent shooting from the floor.

Add on three future first-round picks, and you might not find another deal better than this if you’re Houston

Why the OKC Thunder do it

In the past, we’ve brought up the idea of the OKC Thunder pursuing both Shake Milton and Matisse Thybulle, albeit separately. With this trade, however, we see them come as a packaged deal.

The reason why we’re big on Milton is due to what he’s managed to do while serving as the starting point guard when filling in for Simmons. Last season, when playing in such a role, the 24-year-old posted impressive averages of 13.7 points and 4.2 assists per game on 51 percent shooting from the floor and 47.5 percent shooting from deep.

He would come in as the best option to run alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the backcourt and, as both are still so young and under their rookie contracts, could prove to be a very solid and inexpensive guard tandem moving forward.

As for Thybulle, he, too, is a young player (20th overall selection in the 2019 draft) who can grow with the youth movement in OKC moving forward. Despite the underwhelming start to his career, coming into the NBA he was seen as one of the best 3-and-D players in his draft.

Though he may not have lit things up to date, at this stage in his career it’s clearly too early to give up on a second-year first-round selection.

A high character, defensive-first, and floor-spacing prospect, Thybulle seemingly fits the definition of what Sam Presti looks for in his players.

All of this without giving up a single draft asset?

Where do we sign up?