- The Knicks and 76ers have had initial conversations about a James Harden trade
- Harden wants out from the 76ers after accepting his player option
- The Clippers are James Harden’s preferred destination
As of right now, point guard James Harden wants out from the Philadelphia 76ers, as he requested a trade after opting into his $35.6 million player option with the squad. There is no doubt that Harden is still a good player, but it is unlikely that a team will give up prime assets for him due to his age and contract situation.
It was recently revealed that Daryl Morey did his best to grant James Harden’s trade request. NBA insider Ramona Shelburne of ESPN revealed that Morey had conversations with not only the Los Angeles Clippers but also the New York Knicks.
“He said he would make a good faith effort to trade Harden and had initial conversations, league sources said, with Harden’s preferred team, the Clippers, as well as the New York Knicks.”
The Clippers are James Harden’s preferred destination, and it is easy to see why he wants to join them given the talent on their current roster. Harden playing point guard next to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George would be amazing, given his playmaking ability.
With that being said, the New York Knicks could also be a good destination for the guard. He would likely have to shift back to being a shooting guard and be a backcourt partner for Jalen Brunson, and Harden would end up as the veteran leader on a hungry squad.
During the 2022-23 season, James Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game for the Philadelphia 76ers. He is clearly still an All-Star-level talent, and we’ll see where he ends up at the start of the season.
James Harden Is Viewed As Unreliable By His Former Coach
Even though James Harden’s production has been generally good throughout his career, there are still some concerns about him. In fact, Harden’s former coach described the 76ers star as unreliable.
“As I was told by a source whose coached James Harden in the past that he was talking to another coach that coached James Harden and said, ‘Listen, James is good until he isn’t good,” said NBA insider Ohm Youngmisuk.
It remains to be seen if James Harden will assuage those concerns in the future. There is no doubt that he is a really good player when locked in, and perhaps a new environment could be beneficial for him in that regard.
James Harden Reportedly Wants To Be The No. 1 Option
There is no doubt that James Harden has led a number of successful teams as the No. 1 option during his time with the Houston Rockets. In fact, the reason Harden reportedly wants out from the 76ers is because he wants to be the No. 1 option on a team.
At this point in his career, it is hard to see James Harden lead a successful team as the No. 1 option. Still, he can be effective as a complementary star next to a superstar, and hopefully, he goes to a team that has use for his skills.
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