5 James Harden-76ers trades to teams nobody is expecting

The Philadelphia 76ers and James Harden are in a tough spot.

Everything started when it was announced that Harden would opt into his player option for next season but request a trade away from the 76ers. The 76ers were expected to concede and get whatever they could.

However, after a few weeks of little news, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the 76ers had halted trade talks and were planning on bringing Harden into training camp.

Obviously, anyone who knows Harden’s history knew this wasn’t going to sit well with him. He essentially forced his way off the Houston Rockets and proceeded to do the same with the Brooklyn Nets.

But this time around, Harden took things to the next level. Instead of letting his actions shape a narrative created by the media, he made sure to let his intentions be known himself.

While at a basketball camp in China, Harden took to the microphone, stating that “Daryl Morey [the GM of the 76ers] is a liar, and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”

https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1691032541531422720

Harden repeated himself, making the same exact statement twice, in a video that has gone absolutely viral on Twitter. Now, the 76ers find themselves in quite the pickle.

It’s become evidently clear that Harden has no intention of suiting up for the 76ers next year, so Philadelphia’s hands may be tied. They could wait it out and just let him sit out a season, but that would be wasting a year of Joel Embiid.

Teams like the LA Clippers and Chicago Bulls have popped up as potential destinations (via various betting odds), but what about the teams nobody is talking about?

Let’s take a look at five potential Harden trades the 76ers could do to send him somewhere nobody is expecting.

Spoiler alert: Most NBA teams probably aren’t too eager to trade legitimate star power and assets for a disgruntled star heading into the final year of his contract who is almost certainly a flight risk next summer.