James Harden wants out of Houston. He’s made that pretty clear so far without having to say much.
There are a bunch of teams in the NBA who could use Harden on their roster and would probably trade for him if they could. But just because a player wants out and a team wants him doesn’t mean that the player will land with that specific team. Harden is extremely valuable, and that’s why he isn’t out of Houston gone yet.
The Rockets have to actually agree to trading Harden and they have to get something back in return. And for a player of Harden’s caliber? That return haul better be tremendous.
Harden has a list of preferred trade destinations, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, that start with the Nets, Sixers, Bucks and Heat.
Sources: James Harden now has the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat among his preferred trade destinations, along with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets.
More on Inside Pass at @TheAthleticNBA: https://t.co/Cp1Irm2VZN
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 10, 2020
But out of those teams, none of them are guaranteed to land him at this point. Some of them have would have to part with impactful players. Others? Their assets just aren’t good enough.
We rank them all here, plus a couple other franchises that could be a great alternative destination for Harden.
