The James Harden-Philadelphia 76er saga is not going to go away soon. Harden still wants out of Philly, and if the Sixers are to eventually give in to the league's former Most Valuable Players' desire to play somewhere else via a trade,  NBA insider Marc Stein believes that one of the end goals for Philly is to add a star to run alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

“The Sixers' primary team-building objectives, as I understand them, are A) trying to find another star to fortify their Joel Embiid/Tyrese Maxey core and B) preserving next summer’s pathway to significant salary cap space with whatever they do.”

A potential James Harden trade could net the Sixers a significant package including multiple draft picks. Those assets can be flipped by Philly into a proven star who's ready to contribute right away, as speculated by Stein as well. Doing so could suppress rumors of Embiid's own unhappiness over the ongoing Sixers situation.

“As Morey himself stated in a recent interview with 97.5 The Fanatic in Philly (as conveyed by my pal Bryan Toporek via Liberty Ballers): “What we're attempting to do is have the best team possible this year, but also have the ability — if we get into a next-season situation — to be a very unique team with the most cap room of a team that's as good as us.”

The offseason has felt very toxic for Sixers fans, who, after seeing their team underachieve in the 2022-23 NBA season with an early exit in the playoffs, are now forced to endure the drama involving the unhappy Harden. Still, there's still time for Morey and the Sixers to work their way out of this mess before the start of the new season.