James Harden Not Expected to Make 76ers Debut This Weekend After Trade from Nets

James Harden reportedly won't make his Philadelphia 76ers debut in either of the team's next two games—Friday against the Oklahoma City Thunder or Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kyle Neubeck of the PhillyVoice reported Harden, who was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline, will be evaluated by the Sixers' performance staff over the weekend after dealing with a hamstring injury late in his Nets tenure.

Harden's injury became a topic of conversation Thursday night during the All-Star captain draft, which featured Kevin Durant, the guard's former Brooklyn teammate, and LeBron James.

LeBron asked whether the 10-time All-Star would be available to play, and the always outspoken Charles Barkley joked his hamstring would magically heal following the trade:

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported before the Sixers-Nets trade was completed that Harden wanted the move but wouldn't formally request it "out of fear of the public backlash" that would likely follow.

Clearly the backlash has arrived anyway, and now the question is whether the Sixers' newest acquisition will make the trip to Cleveland for next weekend's All-Star Game.

It wouldn't be surprising if Philadelphia keeps Harden sidelined through the All-Star break, which would serve the dual purpose of giving him more time to make sure the hamstring is healed while also allowing him the avoid the spotlight following the trade.

After this weekend, the 76ers have two more contests before the break. They host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday and visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.

That's followed by eight days off before they return to action Feb. 25 with a road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The next few weeks aside, the Sixers have moved themselves firmly into the championship conversation by ending the Ben Simmons saga and picking up Harden in the process. The front office held firm its stance Simmons wouldn't be moved for anything less than a top-tier player, and it paid off in the end.

The combination of Harden and Joel Embiid could become the NBA's best one-two punch, and the rest of Philly's roster stepped up in a major way to help post a 32-22 record while playing without Simmons, which is a promising sign.

A potential 76ers vs. Nets playoff series would be nothing short of must-see TV if Harden, Embiid, Durant, Simmons and Kyrie Irving are all healthy and active.

For now, the focus is on when Harden will make his Sixers debut, and it sounds like that answer won't come until sometime this weekend after the evaluation.