Philadelphia 76ers: How to make a trade for James Harden work

Ben Simmons and Josh Richardson on the Houston Rockets

Simmons with the Rockets gives Houston a near-perfect for the system they are trying to run.

The Houston Rockets do lose their former superstar in James Harden, a player that has kept the franchise relevant for eight years, a former MVP, and one of the most dominant offensive players in recent NBA history

In return, they get third team All-NBA and first team All-Defensive team superstar in Ben Simmons who is nowhere near being the finished product.

Simmons, a 6-foot-10 point forward who can play virtually any position on the floor, is a freak of nature. If he could shoot the ball, then he would be the perfect fit for the Rockets. If Simmons ever learns how to be a solid-to-average shooter, the entire NBA needs to take cover because that would catapult Simmons to MVP-caliber status.

Simmons gives the Rockets a player to build around long-term and they can spend the next few years build a system around Simmons that will allow them to be successful.

Simmons’s ability to play positionless basketball fits in perfectly with the system the Rockets play currently.

Simmons can get his shots off in the paint, PJ Tucker can take corner 3’s, Eric Gordon can stretch the floor, Russell Westbrook can shoot from midrange and Josh Richardson can do a little bit of all the above.

Josh Richardson gives the Sixers a player who can play both shooting the guard and small forward and who is a versatile defender and is a league-average 3-point shooter for his career at 36.3 percent from 3.

It may not be the perfect trade for the Rockets but they get good value back for a player in Harden who has seemingly taken the Rockets as far as they can currently go. The Rockets have a better chance long term of landing free agents with Ben Simmons who is only 24 than with James Harden who is now 31.