The Philadelphia 76ers altered their title hopes when they acquired James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets in an NBA trade deadline blockbuster involving disgruntled guard Ben Simmons. Not only did the Sixers get one of the NBA's best scorers in Harden, but they were able to acquire The Beard without giving up perhaps their best young defender in Matisse Thybulle and their best young offensive player in Tyrese Maxey. The core of the team without Harden led by MVP candidate Joel Embiid was perhaps already good enough to win a 2022 NBA title. Here are two reasons why the James Harden trade makes the Sixers the 2022 NBA title favorites.

2 Reasons Sixers Are 2022 NBA Title Favorite After James Harden Trade

2. The Ben Simmons storm cloud is gone 

Before the James Harden trade cleared the skies, the Sixers were playing the first half of the season under a dark storm cloud named Ben Simmons. Seemingly before every game, head coach Doc Rivers had to answer a question about Simmons. Joel Embiid had to answer a question about Simmons. The way things were looking, the Sixers were either going to have to attempt to force Simmons to play, which would never work given his reluctance to even practice for them. Or, the Sixers would have to play the rest of the season with the distraction that Simmons had become hanging over their heads. The Harden trade not only gifted the Sixers with a legitimate superstar player, but it also freed them of the distraction of Simmons. With the distraction gone, the Sixers can now focus solely on playing basketball, which has to be a massive weight lifted off of each and every one of the players and coaches. That much is enough to make the Sixers even more of a favorite to win the 2022 NBA title.

1. James Harden will easily be the best player Joel Embiid has ever played with

Joel Embiid has played with some great players in his career, such as Jimmy Butler and the aforementioned Simmons. Butler has leveled up since leaving Philly, though even he might not measure up to the level of Harden. The Beard has won an MVP and has led the NBA in scoring three times. He's one of the greatest passers the NBA has ever seen and also one of its best three-point shooters. He can single-handedly carry an offense on his back for not just minutes, but entire games. As great as Simmons and Butler were, they have never been able to do all of the things Harden is capable of. Now Embiid, who could be well on his way to securing an MVP trophy of his own, will have the best sidekick of his career after the Harden trade. Embiid and Harden make sense together, as both can provide offense from anywhere on the court. Embiid is a good enough defender to hide some of Harden's flaws on that end while Harden can carry the Sixers through any potential offensive slumps Embiid endures. Embiid and Harden are both willing passers. The wild card is their personalities and how they potentially work- or don't- together. However, from purely a basketball standpoint, the Sixers now have a former MVP- and potentially a soon-to-be MVP- as their two best players. That's the kind of firepower needed to win a championship in today's NBA. That's why they should now be considered the 2022 NBA title favorites.