Getty James Harden
With James Harden likely on the way out, the Philadelphia 76ers have to think about the best return they can get in exchange for Harden. For now, Harden’s preferred destination, the Los Angeles Clippers, does not appear good enough for the Sixers. If they never come to an agreement, CBS Sports’ Ameer Tyree proposed a trade that he believes would give the Sixers a better return package.
Tyree proposed the following trade between the Sixers and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Timberwolves receive: Harden
Sixers receive: Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson, Draft capital
Tyree didn’t give much explanation as to why the Sixers would do it, but he wrote, “getting some veteran support is better than nothing,” in an October 27 story.
Mike Conley is two years older than James Harden, and he is not the playmaker that Harden is. However, he is still a quality veteran for his age. Also, he is in the last year of a three-year, $68 million contract with the Timberwolves. This means that the Sixers will maintain cap flexibility when free agency approaches in 2024.
At 36 years old, Conley is not the ideal return, but he’s a better player than what the Clippers would offer.
Ex-NBA Player Believes Lakers Should Acquire James Harden
James Harden’s ex-teammate Kendrick Perkins believes that the Los Angeles Lakers should consider Harden as a possible option. Perkins believes that Harden would play well next to Anthony Davis.
“If I’m the Los Angeles Lakers … I might be looking to trade for James Harden.”
Thoughts on @KendrickPerkins‘ take 👀
“If I’m the Los Angeles Lakers, I might be looking to trade for James Harden. James Harden wants to go to the Clippers, but to be honest with you, James Harden to the Lakers makes the most sense for Anthony Davis. If you want to get him good, easy looks like James Harden did for Joel Embiid last season, how about trading for him?” Perkins said on the October 27 episode of ESPN’s “NBA Today.”
Harden would give the Lakers an upgrade at the point guard spot. Given LeBron James‘ age and how loaded the Western Conference is, they may need all the help they can get.
The one problem would be what the Sixers would be willing to take back for Harden. Outside of LeBron and Davis, the best they can offer is a combination of Austin Reeves, D’Angelo Russell, and Rui Hachimura. That’s better than what the Clippers can offer (outside of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George), but it may not be good enough to entice the Sixers.
The Latest Update on James Harden’s Progress
Though Harden has not suited up for the Sixers yet, head coach Nick Nurse updated reporters on where he is progress-wise.
“James was here,” Nurse said on October 29, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “He was here for the film session and walk-through. The report on him is he had some good conditioning days, still in the ramp-up process, looking to have him back in practice on Tuesday. That’s about where we are with that.”
Nurse also hinted at what Harden’s next steps will be on October 31.
“All signs are positive conditioning-wise and all those things,” Nurse said. “We just need to get him in some live action, then hopefully we can do that Tuesday.”