In the wake of James Harden requesting a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers, one NBA writer is proposing that the Boston Celtics acquire the 2017-18 MVP. Eric Jay Santos of Sports Illustrated proposed that the Celtics trade Al Horford and Malcolm Brogdon to the Sixers for Harden.
“The Celtics would boast a potential starting lineup of Harden, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, and Robert Williams III,” Santos wrote in his latest NBA trade column. “Considering Boston’s three Eastern Conference Finals appearances over four years, Harden may be more willing to embrace their system over those of his previous destinations.”
The Sixers agreed to search out a trade upon Harden’s request after the talented guard picked up his $35.6 million player option for next season in June. However, Philadelphia’s asking price for Harden was steep and no teams were willing or able to meet it.
The Sixers believe they will be a championship contender with Harden’s return alongside Joel Embiid and the team is determined to find a way to make it work with Harden next season. However, according to NBA insider Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Harden will never play for the Sixers again and has no plans of taking part in training camp if he’s still on the team.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
In 58 games for the Sixers last season, Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists while shooting 44.1% from the field, 38.5% from 3 and 86.7% from the free-throw line. He led the NBA in assists per game for the second time in his career.
Harden was fined $100,000 by the NBA for calling Sixers president Daryl Morey “a liar” during his Adidas tour in China. Harden no longer has a relationship with Morey. The 10-time NBA All-Star called the exec a liar since he wasn’t traded quickly after opting into his 2023-24 player option.
If Harden isn’t traded before training camp starts and he holds out for more than 30 days, the Sixers can prevent him from entering free agency in the summer of 2024, according to NBA insider Zach Lowe of ESPN. Since Harden is in the final year of his contract, different NBA holdout rules would apply to him if he decided not to report to training camp and play.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
The odds of Morey trading Harden to a division rival are extremely low. With that said, Celtics fans hoping for a Harden trade shouldn’t get their hopes up.
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