Chicago Bulls would land James Harden via eyebrow-raising mock trade

The road back to relevancy for the Chicago Bulls has been long and winding. Just when they thought they found the formula to success in 2022 after clinching the sixth seed and giving the Milwaukee Bucks all they had in the first round, they seemingly took a step back this past season after failing to make it to the postseason.

Many have been clamoring for changes this offseason, but the Bulls have gone in the other direction: keeping most of the core from last season's squad. However, a mock trade proposed by Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz could make the Bulls a lot more interesting.

Give up Zach LaVine, receive James Harden

In this incredible trade, the Bulls would give up All-Star guard Zach LaVine and promising forward Patrick Williams for former MVP James Harden and veteran P.J. Tucker. While clearly no longer the one-man-wrecking crew that he once was, Harden remains an elite scorer and playmaker, as evidenced by his average of 21 points and 10.7 assists last season.

His addition would bring new life to a Bulls offense that, at times, looked lost. With Harden playing the point guard position, shooters like Coby White and Jevon Carter would feast on open looks, and All-Star DeMar DeRozan would be kept fresh to work his magic in crunchtime.

"For the Bulls, this is a chance to be competitive in 2023-24 while also clearing future salary-cap space for a potential rebuild," wrote Swartz. "Harden is still one of the best playmakers in the NBA, breathing life into a Bulls offense that ranked just 24th overall with Lonzo Ball missing the season with a knee injury."

BREAKING: 76ers G James Harden is picking up his $35.6 million option and sides are beginning to work together in exploring trade scenarios, sources tell ESPN. It’s expected that Harden has played his last game for Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/GguWgysfNZ
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 29, 2023

Precious cap space

In addition, getting rid of LaVine would save the Bulls lots of money as it would rid them of the four-year, $178-million commitment to a player whose impressive numbers did not necessarily translate to winning. The Bulls can then use the cap space to reshape the squad and put it in a better position to contend in the future.

"This trade removes LaVine's remaining four-year, $178 million contract from Chicago's books. Harden and DeRozan will both become free agents next summer, opening up $64.2 million worth of cap space for the Bulls in 2024," Swartz explained.

Philly isn't going to get a superstar in return, but acquiring a younger guard who's been an All-Star two of the past three years would keep the Sixers in the title hunt. A swap of Harden and LaVine (as well as Tucker and Williams) works for a number of reasons.

For the 76ers, a starting five of Tyrese Maxey, LaVine, Williams, Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid packs a ton of offensive punch, with a bench of De'Anthony Melton, Patrick Beverley, Furkan Korkmaz, Danuel House Jr. and restricted free agent Paul Reed providing some defense to mix in. LaVine is under contract for the next four seasons, giving Embiid some stability from a co-star.