The Philadelphia 76ers and James Harden have reached a stalemate. He doesn’t want to be a part of the team anymore, but no other NBA side seems willing to meet Daryl Morey’s asking price for his services.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley believes there’s a team that could make sense as a potential destination for Harden, assuming Morey changes his stance and grants him the right to be traded.
Should that be the case, then we should keep an eye on the Phoenix Suns and a potential reunion with Kevin Durant. Of course, that would cost them Bradley Beal and some other parts.
Suns Could Land James Harden In Bradley Beal Trade
(via Bleacher Report)
“The Trade: Beal, a 2024 second-round pick (via DEN), a 2028 second-round pick (via MEM) and a 2029 second-round pick (via MEM) to the Philadelphia 76ers for James Harden and P.J. Tucker
If the Suns wound up shopping Beal, they’d almost certainly be looking for a star. They’ve already splurged on two (Beal and Kevin Durant), and they clearly think stacking them is the key to delivering the franchise’s first NBA title.
Phoenix has been identified as a possible Harden suitor before, and you could make the case his playmaking ability would have more impact than Beal’s scoring, since both would functionally fill third-option roles behind Durant and Kevin Booker.
The Suns could also get Tucker in the deal, both to make the money work and to address some of their depth issues on the wing.”
Of course, this would only happen if Frank Vogel and the Suns fail to make the most of Beal’s skills and they realized they’d be better off with a more ‘traditional’ playmaker instead.