The 76ers are at a precipice. They can do what it takes to retain James Harden, which would likely take a max level contract, spanning his age 34-37 seasons, or they can allow him to walk away leaving them empty-handed.
There is a world where a sign-and-trade is a possibility, sure, but you’ll recall when Jimmy Butler departed for Miami, teams tend not to recoup much value in those. The 2019 Sixers got Josh Richardson and cap space. Of course, they could offer Harden a max and get rejected; due to an age quirk in the CBA (teams can’t offer fifth years to older players) they can only offer roughly $8M more than rival bidders.