There’s something poetic about James Harden being dealt on Halloween morning.
At the height of scary season, there was plenty of fear in Sixers world. How long would this saga linger? Would Harden actually play and disturb the outstanding vibes created by new head coach Nick Nurse? Would he stunt the growth of budding star Tyrese Maxey? How was Joel Embiid handling all of this? Would the Clippers simply move on from negotiations at some point?
In the end, the situation is certainly more treat than trick for the Sixers, who can let Nurse build a culture, allow Maxey and Embiid to coalesce, and give fans hope for the future.