We are still in the thick of the NBA Finals matchup between the Heat and Nuggets, but there are already player movement rumors swirling around the league. One of the biggest names on the market this off-season will be James Harden, and it looks like there will be more than one team to keep on eye on in his sweepstakes.
James Harden To Phoenix Is A Situation To Monitor
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne says ‘keep your eye’ on James Harden to Phoenix 👀
“The Phoenix Suns don’t waive Chris Paul] unless they feel pretty good about somebody else. And I want you to keep your eye on James Harden. I don’t want to report anything, but that was in the wind for… pic.twitter.com/U840X6417b
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 8, 2023
The experiment in Philadelphia never really worked out. After being traded from the Nets, Harden and Joel Embiid formed one of the more feared duos in the league, but the team was never able to make it over the hump in the playoffs in either of their two runs. The sweeping changes with the 76ers have already seen their coach get fired, and the departure of Harden is certainly on the horizon.
It has long been thought that the Houston Rockets would be the destination of choice. Both parties have expressed interest in Harden returning to the city where he enjoyed the best years of his career, and the door is certainly open. The Rockets will have the necessary cap space to get a deal done, and Harden has talked highly of the young players on Houston’s roster.
But according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, there could be a new team in the mix, given the news that broke yesterday before Game 3.
Paul’s Departure Makes Room For Harden
Sources: The Suns and Chris Paul are exploring multiple options, including a trade, stretching his contract, or waiving and re-signing him in free agency. Phoenix expected to discuss trades ahead of Paul’s June 28 contract date.
Story at @TheAthletic:https://t.co/5EwV2pFLZ6
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 7, 2023
Multiple reports came out on Wednesday saying that the Phoenix Suns would likely waive Chris Paul in the coming days or weeks, which would open a point guard vacancy on a team that is ready to contend for a championship. Shelburne is reading the tea leaves, and believes that James Harden to the Suns could be a possibility. She said the following on a podcast appearance yesterday:
“They don’t do that unless they feel pretty good about somebody else, and I want you to keep your eye on James Harden. I don’t want to report anything, but that was in the wind in the past month or so. Everybody thinks that its Philly or Houston, but I don’t know, there has been discussion in the wind.”
It would be an interesting turn of events with story lines aplenty. Harden would be taking the place of his former teammate in Paul, and he has already played with Kevin Durant on two other teams in the past. It remains to be seen how the Suns would fill out the rest of their roster, especially given the news that Deandre Ayton could be on his way out.
But a core of Harden, Durant, and Devin Booker is a nice start, and a possibility to keep an eye out for.
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