By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Philadelphia 76ers are considered the favorite to land James Harden over the Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, and Milwaukee Bucks, according to a recent report by Marc Stein of New York Times.
The situation remains complicated and staying with the Houston Rockets at least to start the 2020-21 season seems a very likely option. Harden having two more guaranteed seasons in his contract leaves him with little leverage and the Rockets with much time to operate moving forward.
The four Eastern Conference teams among his preferences would need to sacrifice key players to make a trade work within salary cap regulations. Looking into the case of the 76ers, one path would be sending Ben Simmons to Houston.
The Nets and the Heat would also need to give up important players and draft picks in a potential deal. A much more complicated situation emerges for the Bucks as they are currently lacking the assets to complete such a trade.
Harden, 31, has two years left in his contract valued approximately at $83M and a player option for the 2022-23 season. His salary is a challenge for the four mentioned teams unless they are willing to completely alter their roster.