James Harden has requested a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. Which destinations would give him the best shot at winning that elusive NBA championship?
With the free agent market not taking shape like James Harden thought it might, he decided to opt into the final year of his contract with the Philadelphia 76ers — worth $35.6 million — and request a trade.
Now the Sixers will work on honoring Harden's request. Harden has requested the Los Angeles Clippers specifically, but expect Daryl Morey to work to find the best trade available for the Sixers. He's a notoriously shrewd negotiator and the Clippers aren't exactly swimming in assets after the Paul George trade a few years ago.
For Philadelphia, the outcome of this trade could determine Joel Embiid's future with the franchise. It's of paramount importance to receive a package that can keep the Sixers in contention. Meanwhile, Harden has the same goal — he wants to win, and ideally build up his free agent market for next summer in the process.
Which trade destinations give Harden the best shot of capturing his first NBA title next season?
No. 5 James Harden trade destination: Toronto Raptors
There's a moment in the 2022 film 'Avatar: The Way of Water' in which a menacing space whaler with an Australian accent rattles off the phrase, "If you can't get out of it, get into it." The Raptors have made the ill-advised decision to run back last season's No. 9 seed team without its only functional point guard. Strange choice, but fine. That's where we are.
The Raptors desperately need a shake-up. Harden's value is lower than normal for a player of his caliber. He has a lot of miles on his body, he's 33 years old, and he only has one year left on his contract. But, if any team knows the potential upside of trading for stars in the final year of their contract, it's Toronto.
Toronto still has a lot of winning players on their roster. Pascal Siakam was there for the title run in 2019. He has only gotten better since then, emerging as a bonafide top-30 player who can shoulder the lion's share of Toronto's offense. Getting him into pick-and-roll actions with Harden would pay dividends.
A general lack of perimeter shot creation was the Raptors' Achilles heel last season. Harden is an instant solution. Not only can he still create his own shot, but he's great at creating for others. Tyrese Maxey rocketed into the stratosphere as soon as Harden was setting the table for him in Philadelphia. Multiple Toronto players could benefit similarly from Harden's presence.
Plus, the Sixers could get some of Nick Nurse's former players to ease his transition to Philadelphia. Hopefully, the players who still like Nick Nurse.
No. 4 James Harden trade destination: New Orleans Pelicans
Another outside-the-box option, but one that should excite James Harden a fair amount. Off the court, he's in New Orleans — how fun! On the court, he gets to potentially share the floor with Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson. Health has been a big hurdle for the Pelicans, and Harden comes with his own share of injury concerns. But when healthy, on paper, New Orleans with Harden would be a very real threat in the West.
It can be hard to justify hitching your wagon to Zion at this point, but the talent is so overwhelming to the point of making it unavoidable. He has only spent one season relatively healthy since joining the league in 2019, but Williamson is the most dominant interior scorer on the planet. He's automatic in the paint, possessing a blend of strength, speed, maneuverability, and touch that we've frankly never seen before.
Williamson has been an effective hub of New Orleans' offense in recent years, but getting him off the ball and running downhill out of two-man actions with Harden would play very well. Harden isn't the same nuclear scorer who once won MVP in Houston, but he's a tremendous orchestrator. His I.Q. and table-setting acumen would elevate the Pelicans' already-dynamic offense to another level.
The Pelicans have an overabundance of future picks to spend on players like Harden, and they can afford the risk because of that overabundance. A package around CJ McCollum, another young player, and multiple picks could be the best package that comes across Daryl Morey's desk. Harden helming the offense with Ingram and Zion attacking seams in the defense — not to mention breakout candidate Trey Murphy, who would thrive off of Harden — makes New Orleans quite the title threat if healthy.
No. 3 James Harden trade destination: Miami Heat
Harden jogging off to play with Jimmy Butler in Miami would probably sting for Joel Embiid more than anybody else. The basketball fit is admittedly a bit wonky, but Harden's an obvious star talent who elevates those around him. If the Heat strike out on Damian Lillard — a massive if right now — Harden is a logical pivot.
Miami can't offer the Sixers much of anything either, but at some point leaning into shooting around Embiid with players like Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson (plus some future assets) could be Philly's best option. Harden is different from Ben Simmons in that his contract expires next summer, so the Sixers might not be able to afford the same long holdout.
The Heat would essentially move Jimmy Butler off the ball, which could benefit Butler as he ages beyond his prime. Jimmy's lack of 3-point shooting is a definite concern, but he's such a winning player — and Erik Spoelstra is such a crafty coach — that it's hard to do much doomsaying about the idea of Harden joining the reigning conference champs.
Harden would spoon-feed Bam Adebayo easy looks at the rim. He would spray the ball all over the floor to Miami's open shooters. Philadelphia's 3-point shooters all got more efficient after Harden's arrival because he generates so many clean looks. The Heat struggled to get shots to fall during the regular season. Harden is a boon.
The culture fit here is probably the biggest potential holdup for Miami. The Heat are notoriously rigorous with conditioning; Harden, not so much. Plus, Harden's potential off-court distractions multiply tenfold in South Beach, but that's part of the deal with Harden. The man lives his life and he generally performs well, so that shouldn't keep Miami up at night.
No. 2 James Harden trade destination: Los Angeles Clippers
The Sixers would probably prefer to send Harden to the West. He grew up in Los Angeles and has explicitly named the Clippers as his preferred destination. There's value in making sure a player actually wants to play for a team; LA is the only franchise that can operate with some level of confidence in Harden's long-term commitment.
The Clippers, not unlike the Pelicans, would have to be wary of the collective injury concerns spread between Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden. But, in the end, they would employ Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden. That's an undeniably talented trio and it would put butts in seats when the new arena opens a year from now.
Leonard is one of the best isolation scorers we've ever seen. PG is the ultimate secondary star, splashing 3s and attacking seams in the defense. Both have improved as on-ball creators — especially as creators for others — but neither is a classically trained point guard and the Clippers have struggled to balance the offense and find quality distributors in recent years.
Enter Harden, who would immediately give Ty Lue a steady hand at the steering wheel. Harden's obviously much more than a steady hand too. He draws doubles on practically every drive and he can still uncork that patented step-back when the opportunity arises. He spent most of last season top-10 on MVP ladders. The postseason stumbles are a concern, but he had two 40-point games in the Boston series. He's way better than public perception would lead you to believe.
The Clippers still have the firepower to win a championship at full strength. Harden would firmly move them into the Denver/Phoenix tier assuming all goes to plan.
No. 1 James Harden trade destination: Milwaukee Bucks
Objectively funny to pair James Harden with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who Harden famously criticized as "unskilled" during MVP debates of yesteryear. Teaming up with Giannis on the court would probably help James appreciate the two-time MVP's unique impact on winning.
Meanwhile, the Bucks are in a bit of a dire spot after claiming the No. 1 seed last season, only to lose to the No. 8 seed Heat in the first round and fire their well-respected (and extremely accomplished) coach. Adrian Griffin now joins Milwaukee as a first-year coach with high expectations and immediate pressure to deliver results.
The Bucks can justify running it back and hoping for better injury luck. Does Milwaukee lose that first-round series with a healthy Giannis? Probably not. But there are definite concerns about the offensive potency of Milwaukee's current group. Jrue Holiday is a brilliant player, but his scoring limitations have crept into view during multiple postseason runs now. Could the Bucks swing on a Holiday-for-Harden swap?
It would probably depend on multiple factors, from Harden's willingness to commit to a long-term future in Milwaukee to the Sixers' willingness to trade Harden to a primary Eastern Conference contender. The basketball fit, however, is simply undeniable. The Bucks would miss Holiday's defense on the perimeter, but Harden provides enough offensively to make the swap worthwhile.
Harden-Giannis pick-and-rolls would be thoroughly destructive. Harden is an elite transition playmaker, constantly rocketing hit-ahead passes to teammates sprinting up the court. Giannis is the best fast-break player in the world. Khris Middleton would benefit from Harden's smooth deliveries behind the 3-point line, as would Milwaukee's gaggle of role-playing shooters. The Bucks would be quite scary on paper.