Perhaps the Philadelphia 76ers haven't lost the mammoth trade deadline deal that shipped dissatisfied star Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets and brought veteran superstar James Harden to the City of Brotherly Love. But at this time, they certainly haven't won it either. And the numbers tell the tale of a massive trade turning into an anticlimactic wash.
With MVP candidate Joel Embiid sidelined indefinitely with an orbital fracture, the Sixers have suffered with Harden trying to hold the reins. The team faces an ominous 0-2 second-round series deficit to the Miami Heat, and Harden's streak of being held under 25 points in the playoffs extended to 12 games on Wednesday in South Beach. If Harden tests free agency this summer, he'll be eligible to receive a supermax extension. But the 32-year-old isn't living up to those dollars, with Philadelphia's championship hopes dwindling.
"It's insane to think the Harden we're seeing now is a max-player. I just know team ownerships -- I feel like they're going to keep him," Andrew Perloff said during Maggie and Perloff on Thursday. "I'd be shocked if James Harden was ever part of a championship team... I don't think Embiid's ever going to win a title with Harden. 'The Process' failed -- we're just seeing the death coughs. Signing Harden is going to be like the nail in the coffin."
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"Now, Harden's definitely not the best player on the 76ers. That's Joel Embiid. He's not even their second-best player either," Maggie Gray said. "So, moving forward, not paying someone for what they did, but paying someone for what they're going to do... If somehow the Sixers and [president] Daryl Morey give him that four-year extension -- which would kick in after next year -- you'd be eyes-wide-open walking into one of the worst contracts in the NBA."
Maggie and Perloff's complete thoughts on Harden's long-term future with the Sixers can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Maggie and Perloff Show on Twitter @MaggieandPerl and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.