Getty Tobias Harris, James Harden
Many are waiting to see what happens with Damian Lillard and James Harden, knowing their current situations with the Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively. Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey proposed a four-way trade between the Sixers, Trail Blazers, Chicago Bulls, and Miami Heat involving Harden and Lillard that he believes would make all sides happy.
Bailey proposed the following four-way trade.
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Harden, Kyle Lowry, Jaime Jacquez, Nikola Jović, Heat 2028 first-round pick, Heat 2030 first-round pick, Bulls 2030 second-round pick
Miami Heat Receive: Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkić, 2029 Sixers second-round pick (via Chicago), Bulls 2028 second-round pick
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Zach LaVine, Tyler Herro, TrailBlazers 2029 second-round pick
Chicago Bulls Receive: Harris, Caleb Martin, Keon Johnson, 2029 first-round pick swap with the Sixers, Sixers 2030 first-round pick
Bailey explained why he believes the Sixers would agree to acquire both LaVine and Herro in this deal.
“Neither LaVine nor Herro will ever be the passer Harden is, but LaVine is six years younger than Harden and Herro is 11 years younger. Both have proven an ability to score 20-plus points per game while chipping in a decent amount of playmaking. Both are more consistent three-point shooters than Harden, too.
“While they may not facilitate quite as many wide-open looks for Joel Embiid, the attention they’ll command on the perimeter will make it harder for opposing defenses to rush Embiid’s catches inside the arc.”
Bailey added that the Sixers would get younger and more explosive from this deal.
“Morey probably won’t want to lose picks in a Harden deal, but if you just look at the net talent-for-talent swap here (LaVine and Herro for Harden and Tobias Harris), it gives Philadelphia a younger and more explosive offense with which to surround Embiid.”
James Harden’s Former Teammate Questions Clippers Fit
On the July 31 episode of ESPN’s NBA Today, Harden’s former teammate Kendrick Perkins questioned how Harden would fit on his preferred team, the Los Angeles Clippers.
“We’re talking about a Clippers team who we’ve been having high expectations for over what, the last 4-5 seasons? They can’t stay healthy,” Perkins said. “You bring in James Harden, and then what? What is he actually going to do?
“If he’s unhappy in Philly right now and he has the ball in his hands, what type of position are you going to put him in when he get(s) with the Clippers? Is he still going to have the ball in his hands? Is he going to have a bigger role? No! Absolutely not! The two guys you are going to run your offense through (are) Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.”
Perkins added that Harden’s best route available is staying with Sixers.
“If James Harden is all about winning, then he stay(s) right where he’s at with Joel Embiid,” Perkins finished.
Danny Green Says He’s Waiting for Trades
On July 27, ex-Sixer Danny Green talked about the holdup with his free agency while talking with Emily Austin on The Hoop Chat.
Danny Green is NOT done 😤 #TheHoopChat 🎙️🏀 ft @DGreen_14
“It’s moving slow. A lot of people are waiting on trades. When you’re the old guy coming off injury, the phone doesn’t ring as much, so I have to get back and prove I’m healthy again,” Green said. “We’ll see how that goes. I’m just waiting to see where trades land and what spaces free up and figure it out from there.”
Green did not get specific, but it’s likely he’s referring to Harden’s and Lillard’s trade requests. Despite the low level of interest, Green vowed that he can still play.
“Maybe some people think that I’m done. I’m not done playing. I’m not going to fully transfer over to the media side for another couple of years. I want to play as long as I can because I don’t want to regret saying I had two or three years left that I could have hooped.”