Former Brooklyn Nets star shooting guard James Harden was a part of the biggest trade of the NBA season, which saw him going to the Philadelphia 76ers. In that blockbuster deal, the Nets got back Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and a pair of first-round picks.
It was a huge get for the Sixers to bring in a star player like Harden to pair alongside Joel Embiid, but it looks like Philadelphia fans are going to have to wait a little bit for his debut for the team. The Sixers have ruled out Harden until after the All-Star break, as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. This will force Harden out of the All-Star game on Sunday.
The Sixers say James Harden is out through the All-Star break as he continues to rehabilitate his left hamstring, and that he won’t play in the All-Star Game.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) February 14, 2022
This has led to fans of other teams around the league putting their opinion out there of who should replace Harden as an All-Star.
With Harden out and Zach LaVine also banged up, Pascal Siakam could be Cleveland bound for All-Star, after all. Jarrett Allen from the host Cavs would be high on the list of potential injury replacements as well. Again, Adam Silver makes the call. https://t.co/O2fg04VTYF
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 14, 2022
Let's get a Jarrett Allen All-Star billboard up in Cleveland ASAP. #LetEmKnow https://t.co/hnjWRvjs6H
— Nick Pedone (@NickPedone12) February 14, 2022
Door could bust open here for Jarrett Allen… https://t.co/QcSaXykYlb
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) February 14, 2022
Pascal Siakam plans on "going somewhere nice" for the All-Star break… so i'm not sure if Clevela- https://t.co/1x9t4PhO4k
— Oren Weisfeld (@OrenWeisfeld) February 14, 2022
If Jaylen Brown is not the replacement we riot. https://t.co/d0muvAyqUZ
— Celtics Dynasty (@CelticsDynasty_) February 14, 2022
With Harden going out, the leading candidates to replace him appears to be either Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen or Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam. (Update: The NBA announced it will be Allen.)
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen has been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden on Team LeBron in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.
More ➡️ https://t.co/9GGAph2sOe pic.twitter.com/5DXotDRlM2
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 14, 2022
As for the Sixers, it seems like it may be another couple of weeks until Harden will be ready to make his debut for the team. The team will reportedly update his status shortly after the All-Star weekend festivities this weekend.
James Harden is out through All-Star break (rehabilitation, left hamstring). In the interim, he will continue his treatment and on-court training. Harden will not participate in Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game and an update on his playing status will be provided following the break
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) February 14, 2022
Monday brought a good sign for the Sixers, however, as Harden was seen at practice for the team.
Harden and Maxey getting shots up pic.twitter.com/heftuin1yG
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) February 14, 2022
It remains to be seen how Harden and Embiid will co-exist on the court together, but it seems like their games will gel perfectly. The addition of Harden could be exactly what the Sixers need to make a deep playoff run this season. But we’ll see how that plays out when he does make his debut.
