James Harden’s Updated Landing Spots After Damian Lillard Traded to Bucks Over Heat

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One of the NBA’s largest dominoes fell on Wednesday in the form of Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard reportedly being traded. The focus will now will shift back to another disgruntled superstar.

The Blazers traded Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team deal involving the Phoenix Suns, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Philadelphia 76ers are now on the clock when it comes to James Harden.

Harden exercised his $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season in June, and Wojnarowski reported at the time that the sides were working together on finding a trade partner.

The three-time scoring champion reiterated his trade request to Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey in July, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, but the franchise has been in no rush to move him and he remains on the roster.

Since then, Harden has called out Morey for being a “liar,” adding that he “will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of” as he continues to push for a trade.

The latest update in the Harden saga came on Tuesday via Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who said he didn’t expect the star to attend Sixers media day on Monday amid his trade request.

It’s hard to imagine Harden will suit up for the 76ers again. With that said, here’s a look at some of the best landing spots for the veteran point guard.

The Miami Heat were heavily linked to Lillard this offseason, as the former Trail Blazers star had them as his preferred destination.

However, the Heat weren’t “believed to be offering even close” to their full array of assets for Lillard, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. They thus lost out on his services to the Bucks.

Harden could be a more than adequate consolation prize. He would be a significant upgrade over any of the point guards the team currently has on its roster.

The Heat are seemingly entering the 2023-24 season with Tyler Herro as their starting point guard. While he had an impressive 2022-23 campaign—he averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 67 games—there’s no denying Harden would be an upgrade.

Beyond Herro, Miami’s depth at the position is questionable with Kyle Lowry and Dru Smith the next men up. Acquiring Harden and making him the starting point guard while shifting Herro into a sixth-man role would likely allow Miami to flourish.

The combination of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo has been missing the third and final piece to their puzzle, and Harden could be a great fit.

The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Charania reported in June that the Heat were among the teams “expected to emerge” as a suitor for Harden. Especially after losing out on Lillard, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they circled back on that.

The Los Angeles Clippers have seemingly been linked to Harden since he requested a trade from the 76ers. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported in July that he “only has eyes for the Clippers.”

Fischer also reported Friday that the veteran “still hopes” to be traded to L.A. this offseason.

Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports reported Wednesday that the Sixers are interested in adding Jrue Holiday, whom the Bucks sent to the Blazers in the Lillard deal. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor believes if Philadelphia could flip Harden to L.A. and get Holiday back, it would be a “win” for the franchise.

The Clippers enter the 2023-24 season lacking a true No. 1 point guard. They re-signed Russell Westbrook over the summer, but he is far from the player he once was. L.A. would benefit from pairing Harden with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

A trio of Leonard, George and Harden would almost surely rival some of the best trios in the Western Conference, such as the Phoenix Suns’ Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. However, that’s provided they stay healthy.

Beyond Westbrook, the Clippers have point guard depth that includes Terrance Mann and Bones Hyland. It’s not the worst depth chart in the league, but with Harden adamant about a move to L.A., it would be hard for the Clippers to ignore the possibility of adding him.