Just over a calendar year after the Philadelphia 76ers traded for him, James Harden is apparently about to be on the move again.
On Thursday, he opted into the final year of his contract, and it was reported that the Sixers would look to trade him.
Such a trade could be coming very soon, as insider Brett Siegel tweeted that it is very likely Harden will be dealt before free agency officially starts at 6 p.m. New York time on Friday, June 30.
It is looking very likely that a James Harden deal gets done before the start of free agency tomorrow.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) June 29, 2023
Harden arrived in the City of Brotherly Love midway through last season when the Sixers got rid of the disgruntled Ben Simmons and flipped him for the former league MVP.
Philly likely felt that Harden would be the final piece to the puzzle and help them finally win their first NBA championship since 1983, but the team has failed to even reach the Eastern Conference Finals with Harden on board.
While the guard isn’t quite as prolific as he was a few years ago as a member of the Houston Rockets when he was putting up gigantic scoring numbers, he is still a very good player.
After transitioning to a full-time point guard the last year or two, he led the NBA in assists per game this season.
Harden shot very poorly from the field during the 2021-22 campaign, leading some to feel he was in decline, but this season he shot a decent 44.1 percent overall and 38.5 percent from 3-point range.
The Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks are just two teams rumored to be interested in trading for the 10-time All-Star.
