NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Teams that should push hard for James Harden

NBA Trade Rumors: Now that James Harden and the Houston Rockets are working together to find a trade, we explore a few landing spots that make the most sense. 

James Harden has elected not to explore free agency and, instead, he has opted into the final year of his contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in an attempt to work together with the team to secure a trade that makes sense for both sides.

It’s an interesting idea since Harden will not be seeking an extension (he’s ineligible for one if traded) and this will essentially end up being a one-year experiment for whatever team ends up making the move for him. Assuming that is the case, and many suitors view this as an experimental type of move, that means there could be plenty of interested parties.

It’s one thing to pay Harden a three or four-year max deal. It’s an entirely different thing to take a one-year gamble on him, probably at a relatively cheap trade value. It’s not pennies on the dollar, but I can’t imagine the return on any deal will be substantial.

With Harden officially on the trade block, we explore five teams that should push hard for a Harden trade.

Teams that should be interested in a James Harden trade

New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are an interesting potential dark horse landing spot for James Harden. They were interested in the idea of significantly making a change to their roster earlier this offseason and perhaps they’re not completely beyond that ideal.

They could easily swap CJ McCollum for Harden in a potential trade with the Sixers and I believe that both teams could be intrigued by that idea. If the Pelicans were still interested in making a splash, Harden could give them that opportunity.