After a season and change with the Philadelphia 76ers, James Harden could be moved soon, as he has opted into the final year of his contract with the intention of finding a new home.
The Miami Heat, along with the Los Angeles Clippers, are expected to attempt to trade for the 2018 NBA regular season MVP.
Harden came to Philly midway through last season when the Sixers got rid of the disgruntled Ben Simmons. They felt they had just created a soon-to-be championship squad, but they have failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals since then.
Just weeks ago, they had taken a 3-2 series lead over the the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs. But they lost Game 6 and Game 7 as Harden’s shooting became frigid in both contests.
The guard may not be quite what he was a few years ago when he was going on regular scoring rampages and putting up numbers that rivaled those of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. But with averages of 21.0 points and 10.7 assists per game this season, he is still a very good player, if not an All-Star performer.
The Heat badly need a legitimate star-level scoring threat, as well as a point guard and floor general, and Harden could check both boxes for them. He has transitioned from a full-time shooting guard to a full-time point guard over the last couple of seasons, and he could prevent them from getting off to the slow starts that have plagued them over the last few years.
During the regular season, Miami had the lowest team scoring average in the NBA, and its inability to score was a major problem in the NBA Finals versus the Denver Nuggets and in the prior series against the Boston Celtics.