The Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 118-117 on Thursday to begin their regular season. Some speculate as to how the result may have been if James Harden had been on the Sixers roster as well.
The 76ers advised Harden to stay home for their two-game road trip, even though he had planned to travel with his teammates. The 76ers haven’t been able to come to an agreement on a reasonable price for the ten-time All-Star, but Harden would ultimately prefer a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers.
It’s clear that Harden is available on the trade block, but the 76ers aren’t willing to give away the seven-time All-NBA player just to get his $35.6 million salary off the books.
So if Harden is traded to a team that’s not the LA Clippers, who might it be?
According to Bovada, the Chicago Bulls are now the new betting favorites to land Harden via trade, if he’s not sent to L.A. instead. The Bulls have +300 odds to trade for Harden, with the Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat trailing Chicago.
The Bulls have their own All-Stars who may be up for grabs, with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan both facing uncertain futures in Chicago. It’s possible the 76ers see value in adding an All-Star talent such as LaVine or DeRozan in exchange but is Harden what the Bulls want? Houston would likely appease Harden, who enjoyed nine All-Star seasons with the Rockets, and the Knicks are always chasing All-Stars.
It’s not difficult to imagine this scenario ending similarly to the Damian Lillard one, with the All-Star ending up somewhere other than their first desired destination, if the Clippers don’t make a serious offer for Harden soon. Where Harden will be traded to is the one unanswered issue.
