James Harden has taken a bazooka to his relationship with Philadelphia 76ers general manager Daryl Morey this summer.
After extension talks between the two fizzled in July, Harden opted into the final year of his deal and demanded he be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. With no trade on the horizon, Harden called Daryl Morey a liar at an event in China and then hosted a party where signs reading, "Daryl Morey is a liar," were prominently displayed.
Harden seems intent on finding his way out of Philadelphia via trade and doesn't appear afraid to make the situation as "uncomfortable" as possible.
For as much as Harden's public image has been damaged over the past few months, he remains an elite basketball player. He led the league in assists per game (10.7), was second in points generated from assists per game (24.6) and finished 18th in Box Plus-Minus (5.4), right behind Jayson Tatum. Harden is still a top-20 player, one of the league's foremost playmakers and one of the best isolation scorers on the planet.
In the year 2023, James Harden makes any team better. That is why the Philadelphia 76ers want him back and why if they were to trade him, they'd want real quality in return. Unfortunately, two factors are working against them securing a palatable trade.
The first is Harden's antics. The second is he is in the final year of his contract. While the Sixers will undoubtedly look to make a good trade, with Harden and his contract status working against them, any trade could go from good to bad to ugly.
The Good James Harden trade: 76ers, Clippers, Raptors, and Pascal Siakam
James Harden wants to be a Clipper. The Clippers need a point guard. And the Raptors still haven't re-signed Pascal Siakam. Let's fire up the NBA trade machine to save the day.
In this trade, Harden heads to the Clippers, Siakam and Bones Hyland go to the Sixers, and the Toronto Raptors take on two expiring contracts (Marcus Morris Sr. and Robert Covington), two young players (Amir Coffey and Kobe Brown), and net one unprotected 2030 first-round pick apiece from the Sixers and the Clippers.
The Clippers secure Harden for two veterans who fell out of the playoff rotation last season, three young players who project to play very little this season, and one far-out draft pick that could come back to haunt them. Remember, Harden was a top-20 player last season, and the Clippers get to add his services to support Kawhi Leonard and Paul George without touching the top seven of their rotation. If that costs three young players and an unprotected pick, it's well worth it.
James Harden dramatically improves the Clippers' title odds. The Clippers championship window is closing, but it is not shut. The right to draft someone currently in middle school shouldn't stop them from taking their last best shot with this core.
For the Sixers, this trade makes all the sense in the world. Pascal Siakam is an All-Star caliber player who flirts with All-NBA teams. He's 29 years old, the same age as Joel Embiid, is a native of Cameroon, just like Embiid, and has a successful history with the Sixers' new coach Nick Nurse. Just like Harden, he's in the final year of his deal, and on paper, he makes far more sense to extend than Harden because of his age and general avoidance of drama.
Bones Hyland is a nice little throw-in to add some bench-scoring. The Sixers won't become title contenders by flipping Harden for Siakam, but it gives them a fighting chance and a core to build around for another three seasons if they can extend Siakam. Giving up an unprotected 2030 first-round pick is risky, but so is standing pat and seeing if Joel Embiid loves being the best player to have never reached a conference finals.
The Toronto Raptors need to pick a direction, and moving Pascal Siakam, absorbing some bad salaries, and landing two premium draft picks do just that. The Raptors were mediocre last season and lost their starting point guard in free agency for nothing. Pascal Siakam is a great player, but risking losing him in free agency to chase the play-in is malpractice, and signing him to a massive extension is equally unwise with their current roster.
The Raptors need to rebuild, and letting Siakam go is the obvious first step. While shipping out a franchise icon will sting, two unprotected 2030 first-round picks from veteran teams is an incredible haul.
The Bad James Harden trade: The Bulls and Sixers swap DeMar DeRozan and Harden
The Sixers want to keep their books clean for the summer of 2024 but also want to be competitive this season. The Chicago Bulls refuse to rebuild and love a baffling decision. Sounds like a bad trade waiting to happen.
This is about as simple as a trade can get. The Sixers send James Harden to the Chicago Bulls, and the Bulls send DeMar DeRozan to Philadelphia. One-for-one swaps are extremely rare in the NBA, but necessity is the mother of all invention. The Sixers get an All-Star who's presumably interested in playing for Daryl Morey, and the Bulls get a star who makes more sense next to Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.
While this deal doesn't dramatically change the Sixers' title chances in the short or long term, it does improve their roster this season, lessens the chances of a Joel Embiid trade request, and saves them money. DeRozan isn't as good as Harden, but replacing him with Harden will open up more opportunities for Tyrese Maxey to run the offense. If Maxey can take a jump and Embiid stays healthy, the Sixers will have a shot to be a top-four seed in the East. As a bonus, they'll maintain financial flexibility heading into the offseason.
If the Bulls want to win this season, which appears to be the case, then flipping DeRozan for Harden makes all the sense in the world. Harden is a better player and a better fit for their roster. The Bulls had the second-lowest 3-point attempt rate in the league last season, and the primary reason was DeRozan's minuscule 3-point volume.
Harden would change that from day one and give LaVine and Vucevic the space and opportunities to thrive. From a pure basketball perspective, flipping Harden for DeRozan is a win for the Bulls. However, the Bulls should probably be looking to rebuild, but that has been the case for a while.
The Sixers and Bulls exchanging Harden and DeRozan doesn't materially move the franchises in the right direction. The Sixers still won't be a contender, and the Bulls still won't realize they need to blow it up and start from scratch. It's a fair trade but a bad one nonetheless.
The Ugly James Harden trade: The Miami Heat get Harden and the Sixers punt
The Miami Heat, fresh off a run to the NBA Finals, whiffed in their pursuits of Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday. The relationship between the Sixers and James Harden is damaged beyond repair. The offseason has been ugly for both franchises, so why not a trade to match?
In a depressing and underwhelming move, the Sixers send James Harden to the Miami Heat for Kyle Lowry's expiring contract, Caleb Martin, a 2024 pick swap, and a 2028 unprotected first-round pick. The trade all but concedes 2023-24 will be a lost season for the Sixers, while the Heat get their third-choice trade target at point guard.
The Heat desperately need to upgrade their roster if they want any chance of repeating as Eastern Conference champions. The Celtics and Bucks, the two best teams by record in the conference last season, made massive upgrades to their roster, while the Heat have seen crucial role players depart in free agency. James Harden won't vault them past the Celtics and Bucks, but he'd make the Heat a real threat.
The Heat had the 25th-ranked offense last season (113.0 points per 100 possessions) and the ninth-ranked defense (113.3). James Harden, for all of his flaws, has been a near lock to pilot a top-ten offense. Giving up Caleb Martin and a 2028 unprotected first-round pick is a lot for a rental, but switching Harden for the corpse of Kyle Lowry would make the Heat dramatically better, even if it wouldn't vault them to the top of the conference.
The Sixers sending Harden to Miami for an unprotected pick, swap rights, Kyle Lowry's expiring contract, and Caleb Martin would be an underwhelming return. The trade gives them two assets to play with, but they'll be significantly worse this season. It's an ugly return for an ugly situation.