The 2023 free agency class isn’t as stacked with talent as some of the older classes were, with the biggest prizes this year being James Harden and Kyrie Irving, two players who most contending teams can’t afford.
The Lakers’ pursuit of Kyrie over the last season fizzled out and a sign-and-trade to join LA looks unlikely. That doesn’t mean the Lakers can’t look into acquiring Harden, as ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins believes Harden to the Lakers is a possibility this summer.
.@KendrickPerkins is predicting some BIG moves this summer 👀
(via NBA Today) pic.twitter.com/1rrctlfIMy
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 14, 2023
Perkins also predicted that Bradley Beal would join the Celtics and Fred VanVleet would join Philly to replace Harden. How the Lakers can work out the finances to bring Harden in was not explained, as the same concerns around gutting your roster for Kyrie would apply to Harden.
Would James Harden To The Lakers Be A Good Deal?
Given Harden has been widely expected to sign with the Houston Rockets and eat up their empty cap space, there is no indication as to Harden wanting to take a pay cut to remain with a contender. He already did that last season when he declined a $47.4 million player option for last season to re-sign for $33 million. This allowed the 76ers to sign PJ Tucker and gave Harden a player option for $35.6 million this summer.
The Lakers can muster up about $33 million in cap space if they renounce all their free agents not named Austin Reaves. Trying to fill out their roster with minimums for a very old top-three and Reaves will not be smart, even though Harden can provide LeBron James with the on-ball relief he has craved in the last few seasons.
Harden led the league in assists this season and averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists. He had some big playoff games with 40-point performances in wins against the Boston Celtics, but he ultimately disappeared when the team needed him most. The Lakers could be interested in acquiring Harden, but this is not a realistic possibility.
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