Phoenix Suns Might Be Sleepers In James Harden Sweepstakes
Will James Harden pack his bags and head back to his second home in Houston to reunite with the Rockets just a few years after forcing his way out with a trade to the Brooklyn Nets? Or will the ten-time All-Star make his return to the Philadelphia 76ers for a third go-round with Joel Embiid?
According to a recent report, Harden has been described as torn on the subject. And as everybody debates and wonders about Harden’s next move, a possible sleeper team could be entering the mix sooner than later.
On Wednesday, the Phoenix Suns once again became one of the most talked about teams in the league as they could soon make a big decision regarding their All-Star point guard, Chris Paul.
With Paul set to make over $30 million next season, the Suns are considering potentially waiving Paul if they can’t find a trade suitor. While returning to Phoenix on a different deal could be something the Suns work out with the veteran, one NBA Insider revived a previously rumored scenario, which could certainly shake up the James Harden sweepstakes this summer.
Shortly after the initial report broke, stating that Paul was on pace to be waived by the Suns, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne was on the air with ESPN LA 710. That’s when Shelburne decided to throw Harden’s name in the mix as a possible sleeper agent for Phoenix.
“I’m simultaneously texting like four people as you just read that to me because it’s really shocking. They don’t do that unless they feel really good about somebody else. I want you to keep your eye on James Harden. I don’t want to report anything but that was in the wind in the last month or so. Everybody thinks it’s like Philly or Houston but I don’t know. There has been discussion in the wind.”
When SiriusXM’s Brian Geltzeiler initially reported that the Suns were on Harden’s radar last month, the rumor gained slight traction before quickly fading. Now that the Suns are expected to possibly part ways with their veteran star point guard ahead of free agency, Harden certainly isn’t a name that shouldn’t be left out of conversations regarding Phoenix.
Following the Sixers’ Game 7 loss in the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs last month, Harden didn’t have much to say regarding his future at the time. The only thing he made clear was that he wanted to be in a winning situation.
The Rockets might’ve hired a new head coach that already has a relationship with Harden, but their current roster is far from contender-worthy, considering they finished the 2022-2023 NBA season placed second-to-last in the Western Conference.
Houston has valuable draft assets, young players with high upside, and enough funds to re-work the roster and make them more intriguing to Harden, but the Sixers have already proven to be a playoff contender over the last six seasons and have the current MVP on board along with an emerging star in Tyrese Maxey.
Perhaps, the addition of a new head coach intrigues Harden enough to return on another short-term deal before making a long-term decision.
However, if Harden does start eyeing up the Suns as a potential landing spot, that puts both the Rockets and the Sixers in a difficult position. Not only does Phoenix have Kevin Durant, who is on good terms with Harden once again after their short-lived run together in Brooklyn, but Shelburne also touted Devin Booker as a great teammate in the eyes of players around the league.
“This is the thing about Phoenix — everybody wants to play with Devin Booker. He is like the perfect guy to play with. He doesn’t suck up all of the oxygen in the room, he’s really good, he’s a great shooter, and he really knows how to be a great teammate. He’s already proven — Kevin Durant wanted to be on his team and Chris Paul wanted to be on his team.”
Shelburne speculates that the presence of Durant and Booker could issue a possible re-do for Harden on a star-studded team that includes Durant.
While Phoenix found themselves out of the playoffs in the second round over the past two seasons, the Suns were crowned the Western Conference Champions in 2021. Regardless of what happened over the last two years, the Suns will be viewed as possible championship threats in the West next year.
Harden doesn’t need to rush. For starters, he has until the end of June to decide whether or not he’s going to decline his player option with the Sixers for next season. In the meantime, there are a few things to keep an eye on regarding the Harden sweepstakes.
First would be how the Rockets handle the draft and what moves they make in the trade market before and when free agency approaches. Second would be what the Suns’ final decision regarding Chris Paul happens to be. While waiving Paul seems like the most probable option at this time, a trade shouldn’t be ruled out.
Depending on what happens between now and July — Harden’s future could look a lot different than what’s been painted over the last few weeks and even months.
