James Harden next team trade odds: Clippers clear favorites to acquire NBA All-Star from 76ers, with Knicks, Rockets, Lakers, Heat lurking

Friday was always going to be rather wild in the NBA with free agency officially kicking off at 6 p.m. ET, although contracts can't be officially signed until July 6. The league's annual player movement moratorium begins Saturday and then ends July 6, but trades certainly can and will be finalized before that date, and it seems likely that Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard James Harden will have a new address by then. SportsLine offers odds on his next team.

Harden wore out his welcome in Houston and Brooklyn, and he's now forcing his way out of Philadelphia. The All-Star guard picked up his player option for next season at $35.6 million, and the 76ers will now facilitate a trade. Harden could have become a free agent and simply signed wherever he wanted – although few teams have much cap space. Thus, a sign-and-trade was a better route in Harden's mind.

The Sixers could've offered Harden as much as a four-year, $213 million contract in free agency but started making calls on Harden trades Thursday, according to multiple reports. He's still a fabulous player and averaged 21 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game this past season.

While Harden did force his way out of Houston during the 2020-21 season via trade to the Nets, he does like the city and has pondered a return to serve as a veteran presence on a very young but talented team. Houston isn't winning a title anytime soon, though, and reportedly may sign Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet to an offer sheet this evening. VanVleet would cost nothing but money. Toronto does want VanVleet back and can offer him more money than any team.

If winning at title matters to Harden, he may push for a deal to the Clippers, Knicks or Heat, although Miami is not expected make any major transactions while Damian Lillard remains in limbo with the Trail Blazers, as Lillard is the Heat's top option.

The Clippers have been looking for a true point guard for ages – Russell Westbrook is not really one – and nearly had a trade for Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon finalized before it was nixed over health concerns. Los Angeles did just clear some money by releasing Eric Gordon, although Steve Ballmer is the richest owner in the NBA so he probably doesn't care much about any luxury tax issues if the team were to add Harden and re-sign Westbook. How fun would those two, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard be? The Clippers are opening a new arena for the 2024-25 season, so they need star power.

Sam Amick of the Athletic wrote that Harden, an L.A. native, wants to play for the Clippers. Obviously, the Sixers will send him wherever they want in terms of the best package as they owe Harden nothing. They also don't want to get a reputation around the league for alienating star players.

A Clippers deal that would have the Sixers receiving Norman Powell and Marcus Morris works salary-wise, but the Clippers may not feel obligated to offer that much if they think they have leverage. Philadelphia would likely ask for ascending guard Terance Mann, per CBS Sports.

We obviously have to include the Lakers because they are the Lakers and they star-hunt more than any club. Personally, I'd be very interested to see if LeBron James would put up with some of Harden's antics.

The Knicks were one of the first teams linked to Harden, but does he really fit on a club where Jalen Brunson is the clear point guard? New York definitely has the assets for a trade in terms of future first-round picks. SNY's Ian Begley tweeted: "Heard Knicks' interest in James Harden, at the moment, is far from uniform throughout the organization."

Phoenix will reportedly host Kyrie Irving for a free-agent visit this weekend. If Irving decided to return to Dallas, could the Suns check in on Harden? It's not clear if his relationship with Kevin Durant is all that good after the implosion of the Nets. If the Mavericks lose Irving, perhaps they go Harden shopping.

Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Which team will James Harden open the 2023-24 season with?

• Clippers Even
• Knicks +400
• Rockets +500
• Lakers +700
• Heat +900
• Mavericks +1200
• Suns +1500
• 76ers +2500

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