NBA Power Rankings: Lakers desperate for bold trade deadline move; Streaking Suns

7. Philadelphia 76ers

While James Harden made a mess during the offseason, there had to be some real concern inside the Philadelphia 76ers front office. Of course, they’ll probably never admit it, and continue to publicly profess the confidence that they had in their roster, you don’t generally recover quickly from trading an All-Star player for pennies on the dollar.

Sure, the Sixers did get some of the draft compensation that they were seeking, but losing Harden is never easy, no matter how much of a headache he may be off the floor. Nevertheless, the Sixers have done a great job in recovering after the loss of Harden.

The Sixers have been one of the best stories in the Eastern Conference this season and are on pace to finish as a top 3 seed in the conference entering the playoffs. Still a piece away, the Sixers are very much going to be a team that not many contenders will want to face in a seven-game playoff series.