New Orleans Pelicans
Then we have the New Orleans Pelicans. After another injury-plague season, which completely derailed their chances of finally taking a tangible step forward in the Western Conference, it wouldn’t be surprising if they attempt to make a big splash at some point soon. And they have a plethora of intriguing young pieces and future picks that they could package together to send to Philadelphia to appease them.
While I have a hard time envisioning David Griffin trading for Harden, in theory, he would be a fit on the Thunder. A core of Harden, Brandon Ingram, and Zion Williamson would be quite interesting. They could even trade CJ McCollum in an attempt for the Sixers to remain competitive in the East. That would also open up more on-ball opportunities for Harden.
Harden would automatically legitimize the young, underperforming Pelicans and he would get a great opportunity to rebuild his reputation around the league.
Of course, it would have to take a complete change of heart from Harden. In fact, for any of these trades to actually happen, Harden would first have to open to them. There’s no guarantee of that at the moment.