James Harden Trade: Who Can the Clippers and Knicks Offer the Sixers for the Former MVP?

• James Harden exercised his $35.6 million option for next season and will be seeking a trade
• The Clippers and the Knicks emerged as the topcontenders to land the Sixers star in a trade
• The fit with the LA Clippers is obvious as Harden was born and raised in Southern California

Here we go again: James Harden appears to be on the trading block once more after he exercised his $35.6 million option for the 2023-24 season with the Philadelphia 76ers.

That move cleared the way for the Sixers to find a trading partner for the former MVP.

Sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that Philadelphia began making calls on possible Harden trades as it became more apparent that the 10-time All-Star wouldn’t enter free agency this offseason.

Among the NBA teams expected to bid for the superstar’s services are the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers.

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Sports Brief looks at the trade packages these two teams can offer Philadelphia for Harden.

Los Angeles Clippers

All signs point to the Clippers being the favourites to land Harden in a trade. The Sixers would prefer sending him to the Western Conference to avoid meeting him in the playoffs, and the Clips seem to be the most obvious destination right now.

Harden was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Southern California, so the desire to return home is there.

There is a sense of urgency from the Clippers to make this deal right now, as the league would soon prohibit aggregating midsize salaries for a larger salary like the one Harden has right now. The good news for the Clippers is that they have the pieces to do such a deal.

Norman Powell and Marcus Morris Sr.’s combined salaries are almost identical to Harden’s $35.6 million contract for next season.

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Robert Covington and Nicolas Batum can also be included in a Harden deal, as their contracts are both expiring at the end of the 2023-24 season. They also have a couple of first-round picks in 2028 and 2030 they can entice the Sixers with.

New York Knicks

One team that would want to make a splash for Harden is New York. The Knicks have been looking to land a superstar for quite some time now, and the 33-year-old totally fits that bill.

They have a plethora of draft picks and young talent that they can include in a trade for the Sixers star.

New York owns all of its first-round picks moving forward. In addition to that, the Knicks can also dangle the future selections of the Mavs, Wizards, Pistons, and Bucks that they currently own.

The tricky part for the Knicks is matching Harden’s huge salary in a trade. Evan Fournier is expected to be included in a trade offer for Harden, given his $18.8 million salary, but NY needs to add more players to make the math work.

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Josh Hart is another player who is eligible to be dealt after he picked up his $12.9 million option for next season, per Bleacher Report.

New York may have to part ways with Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin to land Harden or even include either Julius Randle or RJ Barrett in a blockbuster trade.

The Knicks will have to make hard decisions if they want to push through with this swap.

Clippers make wise offseason move

Sports Brief recently reported on the LA Clippers saving $110 million with an offseason move days ago.

They waived veteran guard, Eric Gordon, resulting in the franchise saving millions in luxury tax payments.

This is reportedly due to the Clippers opting not to guarantee Gordon's $21mil contract for next season.