Sixers Trade Rumors: 4 potential landing spots for James Harden

4 potential landing spots for Sixers star James Harden

1. Miami Heat

Coming off an NBA Finals appearance, the Miami Heat have made it known that they are dead-set on hunting for a star this offseason. After striking out on Bradley Beal and with Damian Lillard showing all indications of preferring to stay in Portland, Pat Riley and co. could soon shift their focus on entering the James Harden sweepstakes.

Both parties have not shown interest in a partnership at this juncture, but a deal here makes sense, at least on paper. Miami’s offense ran out of juice in the latter portion of the playoffs, and with Gabe Vincent and Mas Strus already skipping town, there’s not a lot of scoring outlook aside from their rather inconsistent Big 3.

Harden — one of, if not the best playmaker in the league, should be an instant fix to the Heat’s scoring woes. He offers a significant upgrade to Tyler Herro’s scoring and facilitating while not being a cone on defense. Better yet, he should present a seamless fit next to Bam Adebayo as a pick-and-roll partner, and to Jimmy Butler as a capable off-ball release valve.

Miami’s best bet to trade for Harden would be to tempt the 76ers with an offer centered on Herro and draft compensation as a Kyle Lowry-centric offer would undoubtedly be turned down, though Harden’s utter lack of roster control could be a big turn-off for their brass if they are not confident about him re-signing next year, especially with the new CBA enforcing more stringent restrictions on three-star configurations.