The Philadelphia 76ers tipped off their regular season on Thursday, suffering a 118-117 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks. Some wonder how the outcome may have been different if the Sixers had James Harden in the lineup too.
While Harden intended to join his teammates for their two-game road trip, the 76ers told him to stay home instead. Ultimately, Harden would like a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers, but the 76ers haven’t been able to agree on fair value for the ten-time All-Star.
It’s clear that Harden is available on the trade block, but the 76ers aren’t willing to give away the seven-time All-NBA player just to get his $35.6 million salary off the books.
So if Harden is traded to a team that’s not the LA Clippers, who might it be?
According to Bovada, the Chicago Bulls are now the new betting favorites to land Harden via trade, if he’s not sent to L.A. instead. The Bulls have +300 odds to trade for Harden, with the Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat trailing Chicago.
The Bulls have their own All-Stars who may be up for grabs, with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan both facing uncertain futures in Chicago. It’s possible the 76ers see value in adding an All-Star talent such as LaVine or DeRozan in exchange but is Harden what the Bulls want? Houston would likely appease Harden, who enjoyed nine All-Star seasons with the Rockets, and the Knicks are always chasing All-Stars.
If the Clippers don’t pony up a strong offer for Harden soon, it’s not hard to envision this scenario ending similarly to how the Damian Lillard one did, with the All-Star ending up in a different place than their original dream destination. The only question, is where will Harden be traded to?
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