Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas believes that Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden should join the Miami Heat this coming offseason.
Harden has a player option for the 2023-24 season with Philadelphia, so he could opt out and become an unrestricted free agent. It’s also possible that the Heat could work a trade for Harden with the Sixers as well.
Arenas exclaimed that Harden should head to Miami, although his suggestion was met with a lot of opposition.
Many of the other hosts alongside Arenas cited Harden’s affinity for partying as a reason why he wouldn’t work in Miami.
The former star guard had a pretty pointed response for who would get Harden on track if he went to the Heat.
“With Pat Riley, he has no choice,” Arenas said.
It was recently reported that Harden is “torn” between remaining with the Sixers or signing with the Houston Rockets, who he spent a major chunk of his career with. Harden won an MVP award in Houston, and the team will have plenty of cap space this offseason to make a run at the star guard.
Miami may not be on that list, but the Heat could potentially look to make a move for a player of Harden’s caliber if they come up short in the NBA Finals this season against the Denver Nuggets.
Ultimately, everything depends on if Harden wants to join Miami, as he controls a lot of his future due to the player option on his contract.
During the 2022-23 season, the 10-time All-Star averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Harden has learned to play a smaller role as a scorer while playing alongside Joel Embiid, and that could help him fit in with Jimmy Butler if he does end up coming to Miami.
Arenas’ suggestion may be a little out of the box, but he clearly thinks that Harden would be able to help the Heat win big in the 2023-24 season.
For now, Miami is focused on making the most of the 2022-23 season, as it needs a win in Game 4 of the NBA Finals to even the series with the Nuggets.