The Philadelphia 76ers wanted to hit the trade deadline on Thursday. Daryl Morey, best known for striking blockbuster deals throughout his time with the Houston Rockets, made his biggest trade Thursday afternoon as the Sixers President of Basketball Operations.
Although there was a lot of wheeling and dealing with the Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers were able to take down high-value guard James Harden. He will also get veteran forward Paul Milsap from Brooklyn.
To acquire Harden, the Sixers sent in Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond along with several draft picks. The trade was officially finalized on Thursday night, as the Sixers announced a deal.
When will Harden make his debut ?
Once the Sixers traded for Harden, it was no surprise that fans were excited to see the pairing of Harden and Joel Embiid on court together.
When will this happen? While it's unclear at the moment, we do know one thing: James Harden won't be making his Sixers debut this weekend.
On Friday nights, the Sixers host the Oklahoma City Thunder. They will then face the Cleveland Cavaliers at home on Saturday. According to Kyle Newbeck of The Philly Voice, Harden wouldn't be a good fit for either of those games.
A team official also confirmed to @thephillyvoice that Harden is not expected to play this weekend. He’ll arrive in Philly area this weekend and will be evaluated by the Sixers’ performance staff at that time
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) February 11, 2022
As Newbeck reports, Harden is expected to arrive in Philadelphia later this week. Before appearing in court, he will be evaluated by the Sixers medical staff.
Recently, Harden has been battling with a hamstring problem. While there was some speculation that his frustrations with the Nets caused him to miss a few games recently, it is important to note that Harden has not played since February 4 and is expected to miss his fourth straight game due to a hamstring tightness. Was.
With Harden on hold for the next two games, the Sixers guard may return to the floor as soon as the Sixers host the Boston Celtics.