The James Harden trade saga is continuing to run its course. While the former league MVP has reported to Houston, he’s made it clear that he wants the Rockets to send him elsewhere, with the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers reportedly on the list of places where he’d like to go.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Harden has expanded his list of potential destinations. The report indicates that he would be willing to go to either Miami or Milwaukee, potentially joining forces with the defending Eastern Conference champions or the team expected to win the conference during the upcoming season.
Sources: James Harden now has the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat among his preferred trade destinations, along with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets.
More on Inside Pass at @TheAthleticNBA: https://t.co/Cp1Irm2VZN
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 10, 2020
A trade to Miami wouldn’t be too hard to figure out, as the Heat have a number of players it can include in a deal for Harden (or any other superstar), although it is very fair to wonder if a package centered around guys like Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn would pique Houston’s interest compared to what other teams can offer up. Milwaukee is much more difficult to see a path forward — the team parted with a ton of draft capital in its acquisition of Jrue Holiday, they don’t really have the kind of young cornerstones that the Rockets apparently want, and unless they’d part with one of Giannis Antetokounmpo or Khris Middleton, making this work financially is quite difficult. This also ignores that things have been frosty in the past between Antetokounmpo and Harden over the former’s back-to-back MVP awards.
All of these teams would appeal to Harden’s desire to go to a team that has a chance to compete for a ring. Whether he ends up going to one of them any time soon or if Houston really is willing to wait this out remains to be seen.
