DeMar DeRozan Floated As A Potential James Harden Replacement By NBA Insider

DeMar DeRozan has been named as a potential replacement for James Harden with the Philadelphia 76ers.

3 Min Read

Credit: Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports

  • 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. 

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Divij Kulkarni is an NBA columnist for Fadeaway World. He has covered the NBA and the English Premier League, with 4 years of experience in creating sports content. Finding exciting and intriguing content about all things NBA is both his job and his passion. Divij loves the Dallas Mavericks and can be regularly observed getting emotional during games. Outside of basketball, he enjoys reading fantasy and sci-fi novels, consuming copious amounts of movies and TV, and spending time with his dog, Olivia. Expertise: NBA, Historical Sports ResearchFavorite Team: Dallas MavericksFeatured On HoopsHype, Sports Illustrated, Secret Base, MSNPrevious Work: Tribuna
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