Monday, January 31st, 2022

In today's newsletter:

• Random thoughts on James Harden and holding on to Simmons
• Details on tonight's game against the Grizzlies.
• Link roundup

The decisions that Daryl Morey makes in the days leading up to the February 10th trade deadline will be graded under two different sets of criteria, depending on the perspective of the fan or analyst who is handing out the marks.

How much did the decisions help position Joel Embiid and the 76ers for a deep playoff run? And, assuming the moves don't net the Sixers a star-level running mate for Embiid right now, how did the moves position the Sixers to pounce on the next star that does eventually look to relocate?

Morey's stance has been that holding on to Simmons until the summer helps position the Sixers for the latter, and that's worth whatever opportunity cost there is in not adding whatever he can to this year's squad. Is there merit to that, as a general concept? And is it more or less of a factor if we talk about the Nets and James Harden specifically?