- James Harden seems likely to leave the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason
- The Utah Jazz have been mentioned as a potential franchise that has the assets to get him
- Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and Talen Horton-Tucker have been named as part of a potential deal along with a slew of draft picks
James Harden has been burning bridges within the Philadelphia 76ers franchise left, right, and center. His departure now seems certain, and the Utah Jazz have been mentioned as a potential suitor in the trade market. Bleacher Report’s Doric Sam explained why it might make sense for the Jazz to get involved in a Harden trade.
“Another team with assets to play with is the Utah Jazz, who could package together players like Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, Kris Dunn, and Talen Horton-Tucker, along with draft picks to persuade the Sixers to let go of Harden,” the NBA analyst wrote.
The Utah Jazz finished 12th in the Western Conference last season when everyone expected them to be extremely poor. Despite trading away Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, the team got to 37 wins following Lauri Markkanen becoming an All-Star and the emergence of Walker Kessler, among others.
Adding James Harden to the mix could certainly be interesting for the Jazz, and Danny Ainge does have the draft picks from the Gobert and Mitchell trades to play around with. Giving up some combination of Clarkson, Sexton, and Horton-Tucker, or maybe all three alongside three first-round draft picks could easily get the job done.
James Harden Not Re-Signing Could Be The Big Issue In The Way Of Such A Trade
James Harden forced this situation by opting into the final year of his contract when the offseason began. Any team that gets Harden will have to be sure that he is willing to re-sign with them otherwise, he will be an expensive rental. And while James Harden is open to joining teams other than the Clippers, it seems very unlikely that he would want to end up back in Utah even if they did make the trade.
The 33-year-old averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game for the Sixers last season. In the right situation, he is certain to raise the floor or ceiling of whatever team it is that trades for him. While giving up some of their assets for Harden might make sense for the Utah Jazz, it’s extremely unlikely that such a scenario would occur.
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