Could Miami Heat Explore James Harden Trade After Lillard Miss?

James Harden’s wish to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers wasn’t granted this past summer. Once the ten-time All-Star realized the Philadelphia 76ers were trending towards keeping him, he attempted to apply pressure by going viral with a public statement, accusing the Sixers’ President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey, of being a liar.

A few days later, Harden made it known he believed his issues with the team were beyond repair. Even after back-to-back public statements made its rounds, the Sixers didn’t budge. At this point, talks with the Clippers have been minimal, and there’s no guarantee Harden will get his wish and go out West.

Could another team in search of a ball-handler take a look at Harden? Somebody like the Miami Heat? In theory, Miami making a call to the Sixers would make sense, but they currently aren’t trending toward making such a move.

76ers Get First Crack at Lillard's Bucks

What’s Going on in Miami?

The Heat’s interest in acquiring Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers was the NBA’s worst-kept secret this offseason. Miami wanted Dame, and Dame wanted Miami. It was a perfect pairing, but Portland definitely did not want to play matchmaker.

The Blazers remained as patient as possible on the Lillard front for months. Last week, they worked on suddenly expediting a trade. Having discussions with several teams, including the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls, the Blazers presented themselves with multiple options.

Still, it seemed like a trade scenario that was Miami’s to lose, but then the Milwaukee Bucks came in and shocked the league. With a three-team deal, not including the Heat, the Blazers shipped Lillard to join the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded team from the previous run.

Miami, left empty-handed, has three options at the moment: Call the Blazers to see if they can get Jrue Holiday. See if they can land James Harden from the Sixers, or sit tight and wait it out to see if somebody else becomes available before next season’s deadline.

The List of Jrue Holiday Suitors

The first situation is reportedly in the works, but the second situation is not. According to the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson, the Heat are not expected to pursue Harden.

Production-wise, Harden proved he’s still very valuable last year. Playing alongside the league’s scoring champion, Joel Embiid, and another 20-plus-points-per-game prospect in Tyrese Maxey, Harden averaged 21 points while shooting 39 percent from three. He also led the NBA in assists with 11 per game.

Why the hesitation from other teams, then? Well, Harden’s spotty playoff performance left a bad taste in the mouths of spectators who paid close attention. Although he had two MVP-worthy showings in the second round against the Celtics, scoring over 40 points in victories on two occasions, Harden struggled in the two matchups that mattered the most.

In the nine-point Game 6 loss at home, Harden drained 25 percent of his shots for 13 points. Then, in the Game 7 elimination matchup on the road, he totaled nine points while draining just 27 percent of his shots. For a team that just made a run to the NBA Finals, the Heat are understandably hesitant to meet Philadelphia’s reportedly high asking price to pay Harden over $35 million for potentially one season.

Anything can change in the NBA, but for the time being, the Heat aren’t interested in pursuing Harden.