Getty James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers
With James Harden wanting out, the Philadelphia 76ers have a predicament on their hands. Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz proposed a trade that could potentially get the Sixers out of their situation while also keeping them among the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Swartz proposed the following trade between the Sixers and the Chicago Bulls.
Bulls Receive: Harden, P.J. Tucker
Sixers Receive: Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams
Swartz explained why the Sixers would agree to trade for LaVine:
“For the 76ers, a starting five of Tyrese Maxey, LaVine, Williams, Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid packs a ton of offensive punch, with a bench of De’Anthony Melton, Patrick Beverley, Furkan Korkmaz, Danuel House Jr., and restricted free agent Paul Reed providing some defense to mix in. LaVine is under contract for the next four seasons, giving Embiid some stability from a co-star.”
Swartz added why the Bulls may take an interest in Harden in their current situation.
“For the Bulls, this is a chance to be competitive in 2023-24 while also clearing future salary-cap space for a potential rebuild,” Swartz wrote. “This trade removes LaVine’s remaining four-year, $178 million contract from Chicago’s books. Harden and DeRozan will both become free agents next summer, opening up $64.2 million worth of cap space for the Bulls in 2024.”
P.J. Tucker May Be Included in James Harden Trade
The Los Angeles Clippers have been floated the most as Harden’s next team. On the July 3 episode of “#thisleague UNCUT,” NBA insider Marc Stein said, “Pretty much anyone you speak to around the league says Harden is gonna end up a Clipper.”
His co-host, fellow insider Chris Haynes, added that if and when a deal is struck, he believes Tucker will be included in the trade as well.
“I think that somehow, someway, P.J. Tucker will make his way over there as well. I don’t know if it will be part of a James Harden trade or separate, but I keep hearing people saying somehow they feel like P.J. is.”
Stein added that it’s “not that hard to imagine” Tucker being included in the package deal to the Clippers alongside Harden. Tucker has two years left on the three-year, $33 million contract he signed with the Sixers in 2022, so trading him would also help them with cap flexibility should they acquire expiring contracts.
Sixers Have Had ‘Preliminary’ Trade Talks With Bulls
Acquiring LaVine — who is one year into a five-year, $215 million contract with the Bulls — may not be a pipe dream for the Sixers. Bulls Insider K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reported on July 7 that the Sixers are among the teams that have discussed acquiring the two-time all-star, which may or may not involve trading Harden.
“The LaVine trade chatter isn’t going away. In fact, league sources said that LaVine has landed in preliminary conversations with both the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers, who are working with James Harden and Damian Lillard, respectively, to find them new homes.”
LaVine is not only younger than 33-year-old Harden at just 28, but he may not demand the ball as much as the former MVP typically does. LaVine may not be the same caliber player Harden is, but he may be the better fit around Embiid and Maxey with his abilities as a scorer and playmaker.