The Philadelphia 76ers and James Harden appear to be on the verge of a divorce. Despite opting into his deal, Harden did so in the hopes of getting transferred.Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on August 5 what the Sixers would have offered Harden if he had entered free agency.
“From what I understand, the Sixers’ best offer would have been something along the lines of a two-year deal with a team option, and that type of short-term commitment wasn’t going to appeal to Harden,” Scotto wrote.
Scotto went on to explain why Harden chose to stay with the Sixers despite his wish to be dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers.
“Harden knew the Clippers were the team he wanted to join, and the only way to get there and get his money was to opt in due to their salary cap restrictions.” There is still communication between the two teams.”
It has been nearly a month since Harden opted in with the goal of being moved, and there has been no progress.
James Harden for Scoring Duo is proposed as a four-way trade.
On August 3, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey proposed a four-team deal involving the Sixers, Trail Blazers, Chicago Bulls, and Miami Heat in which Harden and Tobias Harris would be exchanged for a scoring pair that would give the Sixers “a younger and more explosive offense.”
Bailey proposed the following deal.
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Harden, Kyle Lowry, Jaime Jacquez, Nikola Jović, Heat 2028 first-round pick, Heat 2030 first-round pick, Bulls 2030 second-round pick
Miami Heat Receive: Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkić, 2029 Sixers second-round pick (via Chicago), Bulls 2028 second-round pick
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Zach LaVine, Tyler Herro, TrailBlazers 2029 second-round pick
Chicago Bulls Receive: Harris, Caleb Martin, Keon Johnson, 2029 first-round pick swap with the Sixers, Sixers 2030 first-round pick
Bailey then stated that the Sixers would like to have LaVine and Herro on the team.
“Neither LaVine nor Herro will ever be the passer Harden is, but LaVine is six years younger and Herro is 11 years younger than Harden.” Both have shown the potential to score 20 or more points each game while also contributing some playmaking. Both are also better three-point shooters than Harden.
“While they may not create as many wide-open looks for Joel Embiid, the attention they’ll command on the perimeter will make it more difficult for opposing defenses to rush Embiid’s inside-the-arc catches.”
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