Just over a calendar year after he was traded for by the Philadelphia 76ers, James Harden is clearly on the move again.
On Thursday, he opted out of the final year of his contract, and it was reported that the Sixers would be looking to trade him.
Such a trade could happen very soon, as insider Brett Siegel tweeted that it is very likely that Harden will be dealt before free agency officially begins on Friday, June 30 at 6 p.m. New York time.
There is every chance that James Harden’s deal will be done before the start of free agency tomorrow.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) 29 June 2023
Harden arrived in the City of Brotherly Love in the middle of last season when the Sixers got rid of disgruntled Ben Simmons and flipped him for the former league MVP.
Philly likely figured Harden would be the final piece of the puzzle and ultimately help them win their first NBA championship since 1983, but the team failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals even with Harden.
Although the guard is not as talented as he was a few years ago as a member of the Houston Rockets when he was putting up big scoring numbers, he is still a very good player.
After being shifted to full-time point guard over the past year or so, 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 think he was in decline, but this season he shot 44.1 percent overall and 38.5 percent from 3-point range.
The Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks are rumored to be two teams interested in trading for the 10-time All-Star.
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