Patrick Beverley says James Harden was a factor in picking the Sixers, and he wants him to stay

Patrick Beverley didn’t hide his desire to play again with James Harden.

They are close friends and were Houston Rockets teammates during Beverley’s first five seasons in the NBA. Their mothers are best friends.

And on Sunday, Beverley signed a free-agent deal with the 76ers. But that doesn’t guarantee the guards will reunite. Harden and the Sixers have been working together to find a new team for the 10-time All-Star via a trade.

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During his introductory press conference on Monday, Beverley, who will wear No. 22, was asked how the Sixers build team camaraderie when Harden’s future with the team is a big question mark.

“Players are here to play, that decision is definitely above my pay grade, but you can’t redo a James Harden,” Beverley said. “So hell yeah, you want him here. Hell, you want him in the locker room. Hell, you want him first day of practice.

“One of my decisions coming here was because James Harden was here. So I hope he stays. Hope that everybody can kind of work something out and put that behind us and kind of move forward. I think it’s important.”

Harden and Beverley were the Rockets’ starting backcourt for four seasons before Beverley was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on June 28, 2017.

Beverley had a message for Harden for why he should remain a Sixer.

“I love him,” Beverley said. “James, I love you, bro. Stay. ... I’m very familiar with James. And I’m excited. I’m excited to get it going. He knows I’m here. So we’ll see.”

Right now, the 11-year NBA veteran is a solid fit as a sixth or seventh man. And he could start alongside three-year guard Tyrese Maxey in the backcourt if the Sixers trade Harden.

Beverley, who turns 35 on Wednesday, received a one-year deal for $3.1 million. Reserve center Mo Bamba, who also signed Sunday, got a one-year contract for around $2.3 million.

But based on Beverley’s grit and leadership, one could argue that the Sixers got him at a bargain rate.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder is one of the league’s biggest antagonists and has been widely considered the heart and soul of almost every team he has played for.

Beverley averaged 8.5 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals in 593 career games with the Chicago Bulls, Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, and Rockets.

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He spent time with the Lakers and Bulls last season, averaging a combined 6.2 points in 27.1 minutes. Critics will argue that the Sixers acquired him a season or two too late, noting that his three-point shooting has been in decline the last two seasons.

Beverley was a 38.2% shooter from three-point range in his first nine seasons. However, he shot 34.3% with the Timberwolves during the 2021-22 season. Beverley shot 33.5% last season in 67 combined games with Los Angeles and Chicago.

“I went from a team where I played five, six years for the Rockets and a team I played four, five years with the Clippers,” he said. “So you know exactly what you are getting into. You know where your shots are coming from. You are working on your shots.

“So when you go from there and I go to Minnesota, we are trying to get a team to the playoffs, and we did. And to leave there, and go to L.A., it’s just not at one place at one time not knowing the offense. But it took some time. But ... it’s like riding a bike. I can shoot that thing. I’m excited to display that here.”

While some have soured on the Sixers’ roster moves this offseason, Beverley likes what he sees.

“Obviously, when you have an MVP [in Joel Embiid] on your team,” he said. “You have a guard in James Harden. You have a young guard in Maxey. Obviously, I wouldn’t even put Tobias [Harris] as a role player. I think he’s a star in the making to that next-level superstar, depending on the situation.

“I mean, you put all that on one team. You add, obviously, the new coaching [staff]. You add the dog mentality of me and P.J. Tucker around young guys to kind of mold them on how to be pros in this league. I think a lot of teams in the NBA wish they had what the Sixers have.”

Beverley thinks the Sixers have a chance to collectively do something special.

However, he’s aware of the franchise’s history of second-round exits this century. Their last three seasons concluded with three straight losses in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The last time the Sixers advanced beyond the second round was in 2001.

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“Obviously, the goal is to always win a championship,” Beverley said. “But you’ve got to start in the Eastern Conference finals first. So I think that’s the mindset, that’s the goal. Obviously, ultimately, championship. But for the most part, I think camaraderie is the most important. The more together [you are], the team wins. And we’ve seen that with [NBA champion] Denver this year. So with all that being said, you have all that. Now, it’s about putting it together cohesive, meshing and all the little things.”

The 7-foot, 231-pound Bamba brings a much-needed reserve center presence to a team that was exploited at the rim when Embiid was out of the game last season. That’s not a knock on Paul Reed, who will return to Philadelphia after the Sixers matched three-year, $23 million offer sheet late Sunday. However, at 6-9, Reed is more in the center/power forward mode. When motivated, Bamba should be a better option against towering centers.

He and Embiid being close friends is a bonus. Embiid mentored Bamba through his NBA draft process in 2018 and during his time with Orlando, which drafted him with the sixth overall pick.

“Just recently, he was a huge driving force into me coming to the Sixers,” Bamba said.

The two chatted leading up to free agency and during it.

“He was like, ‘Listen, this might sound a little crazy, because we’ve been playing against each other so much,’” Bamba said, “‘But I feel like the Sixers would be a great fit for you.’”

Due to Embiid’s versatility, Bamba thinks they can play together in a twin tower lineup. He believes Embiid can be positionless.

“He’s such a scoring threat on the floor,” Bamba said. “He’s such a dominant force out there to where it might open up things for other players. And how I’ve been kind of progressing my game to be a stretch five, stretch four, I think it’s very much of a chance that we can play together.”

The former lottery pick shot 39.8% from three-point range during his 40 games last season with the Magic.

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An elite rim protector, the 25-year-old had two or more blocks in 10 games last season. The five-year veteran averaged 1.4, 1.4, 1.3, and 1.7 blocks in his first four seasons with Orlando. Bamba averaged just under one block a game (.95) in Orlando last season before being traded to the Lakers on Feb. 9.

Bamba averaged 3.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 9.8 minutes with the Lakers. His playing time with Los Angeles was limited because of a sprained left ankle. He appeared in just three of the team’s 16 playoff games.

For Bamba, it’s a homecoming of sorts as the Harlem, N.Y. native prepped at the Westtown School in West Chester.

“There’s a winning pedigree here,” Bamba said of the Sixers. “I think the whole entire NBA, we’re all swimming in the same direction of wanting to win. And [Philadelphia] is just a place I can find myself being a big part of a winner.”