James Harden Trade Rumors: 5 Role Players Sixers May Target

Trades within the same conference, let alone the same division, aren’t usually requests that rival general managers want to entertain in August. Or any month, for that matter. But the Sixers are in a bind with the James Harden situation and the New York Knicks could have the perfect piece for them.

The 10-time All-Star has already been linked to the Knicks, so it kind of makes sense. Plus, Harden loves playing at Madison Square Garden where he once dropped 61 points to tie Kobe Bryant’s record. Then, there was this interesting nugget from The Athletic’s Fred Katz who claimed the Knicks were in talks to trade Quickley for a “star player.”

“I have heard of at least one situation where they spoke to another team about flipping Quickley for a very good player in his prime.”

5. Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks: The 2020 first-rounder out of Kentucky somehow remains under the national radar despite playing in the Big Apple. He averaged 14.9 points per game while shooting 37% from three-point land en route to Sixth Man of the Year runner-up honors last season. Yet the Knicks haven’t locked him up to a long-term extension as he continues to play on a club-exercised option. Quickley (6-foot-3) reportedly wants “nine figures” and the Knicks have a bit of a logjam in the backcourt with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Quentin Grimes, R.J. Barrett, and Donte DiVincenzo all competing for minutes. He could be a sneaky good return for Harden — that is if the Sixers can afford to hand him a new contract.