Getty Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns, Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers
With all the speculation surrounding where Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden goes next, NBA Insider Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported on June 9 that another option has been floated around – the Sixers trading Harden to the Phoenix Suns for Chris Paul.
“There’s the idea of Phoenix exchanging Paul for James Harden, which has quietly circulated around some league personnel since the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. A reunion between Harden and Durant makes for great fodder, and the bearded point guard could feasibly pick up his 2023-24 player option on the condition Philadelphia trades him to the Suns.”
Among those who are not in favor of this move was Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, who said that such a deal would take the Sixers out of contention.
“This would also be a hugely disappointing outcome for the Sixers, who gave up multiple first-round picks along with Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond to acquire Harden just 16 months ago. Paul is still a solid starting point guard, but he’s 38 and has a history of playoff injuries. As good as players such as Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are, swapping Harden for Paul probably eliminates the 76ers as true title contenders.”
Though he did not approve of the deal, Swartz added why it would be attractive for the Sixers.
“Philly avoids the Beard bouncing in free agency for nothing in return. A Paul-Joel Embiid pick-and-roll would be highly successful as well,” Swartz said.
The Sixers could potentially look into getting some form of consolation in the event of losing Harden, but Paul might not be what they would want, knowing his age.
Exec Says James Harden’s Not a Max Player
While explaining why the Houston Rockets‘ interest in Harden makes no sense, an NBA Executive told Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett that Harden won’t get the max contract he wants because he’s not the player he once was.
“There’s this talk about him going back to Houston, but from what I understand it’s nothing more than a negotiating ploy. He knows that these guys aren’t going to max him. He’s no longer a max player, but he’s hoping that Philly wants him back and is willing to pay him.
“Houston’s making changes, so what connections will James have with the new people — and why would Houston, that has a bunch of youngsters that they’re trying to grow into NBA players, why would they bring in someone with James’ history of partying?”
When Harden was a regular season MVP candidate, he was deserving of a max contract, but he hasn’t been in that conversation since the 2019-20 season when he finished third in MVP voting.
Suns Interest in Harden Shot Down
On June 9, John Gombadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 Radio FM discredited the notion that the Suns may go after Harden this summer on his personal Twitter.
“Can we stop with these ridiculous James Harden reports. There is a zero percent chance this would happen. ZERO,” Gomabadoro tweeted.
The Suns don’t have the available cap space to sign Harden outright, but Paul and his $30.8 million partially guaranteed contract could be used in a trade which is why the notion was brought up.
