- James Harden looks set to leave the Philadelphia 76ers during the offseason
- DeMar DeRozan has been mentioned as a potential replacement for Harden
- An NBA insider has questioned whether DeRozan can be included in a deal involving the Clippers
The Philadelphia 76ers will soon have a pretty big hole to fill provided they give James Harden what he wants and trade him to another organization.
While he wants the Los Angeles Clippers, that may not be a viable option, and The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has instead spoken about a potential three-team trade involving DeMar DeRozan.
“Is there a way to do a DeMar DeRozan to Philly, some assets to Chicago, James Harden to L.A. deal,” Sam Vecenie said on the Game Theory podcast.
“Is there a chance Chicago could just want James Harden, and see him on an expiring contract as a better fit than DeMar DeRozan? I think that it’s the most palatable option.”
James Harden has opted into the final year of his contract and has just one year left. Any team that’s not the Los Angeles Clippers getting him would mean it’s a one-year rental. Even DeMar DeRozan just has one year left on his deal, though, and it could make even a direct swap surprisingly possible.
James Harden Could Be A Problem For Any Team That’s Not The Clippers
On a surface level, it would make sense to swap the expiring contracts of DeMar DeRozan and James Harden. The 76ers are unlikely to get a better replacement than DeRozan in any deal anyway. But Harden’s insistence on joining the Clippers could be a problem for another team thinking about maybe acquiring him.
“Harden knew the team he wanted to go to, the Clippers, and the only way to get there and get his money was to opt in because of their restrictions with the salary cap. There’s still been dialogue between the two teams.”
The Philadelphia 76ers have to think about their championship window. Joel Embiid is now 30 years old and will be out of his prime in a few years. If they cannot hang on to James Harden, then it would make sense for them to get DeMar DeRozan on the team instead.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
