Superstar guard James Harden sent shock waves through the NBA early on Monday when he publicly ripped Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey.
It’s been reported that Harden wants to play for the Los Angeles Clippers, though talks between the 76ers and them haven’t been successful.
According to Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, Harden is now open to other destinations. However, it seems like there isn’t much buzz connecting the 10-time All-Star to other teams.
“So far, there’s been minimal to no buzz that teams like the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and New York Knicks are interested in Harden,” wrote Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.
The Heat were previously connected to Harden back when he picked up his player option for the upcoming 2023-24 campaign, but that came before Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard requested a trade.
Lillard is set on joining the Heat, and they appear to be focused solely on acquiring the seven-time All-Star. Some of the other teams Pincus mentioned would be curious fits for Harden.
The Bulls currently have DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine as their top two scorers. Something interesting to note, however, is that LaVine has reportedly been mentioned in trade talks between the 76ers and Bulls. Perhaps the Bulls see Harden as a better fit for their current roster, even though he is five years older than LaVine.
As for the Mavericks, they re-signed Kyrie Irving earlier this offseason and are all in on the duo of him and Luka Doncic. Adding a player like Harden probably wouldn’t be the best idea, as the team needs more help in the frontcourt. Irving and Harden also didn’t have a successful stint as teammates on the Brooklyn Nets.
The Knicks appear to be ready to trade for a superstar with the amount of assets they have compiled, but they might have their eyes on someone younger. They’ve been linked to former Heat target Donovan Mitchell for ages, with the rumors unlikely to die down in the near future.
Harden showed last season that he can still contribute and play a lead role by averaging 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists nightly on 44.1 percent shooting from the field and 38.5 percent shooting from 3-point range.
It seems likely that Harden won’t play for Miami this season, so fans hoping to see him in a Heat uniform will have to keep on dreaming.