NBA rumors: Chris Paul to the Lakers, James Harden to the Suns, everyone else to Taiwan
By Ian Levy
NBA rumors: Phoenix Suns entering the hunt for James Harden
James Harden is one of the biggest free agents on the market this summer, based on the assumption he’ll exercise his player option and enter free agency. The 76ers can offer him more money and an extra year but NBA rumors have been circling for months that he may just want to return to the Houston Rockets. Now there is reporting that the Phoenix Suns may be interested in Harden as well.
With free agency pending for James Harden, I’m hearing there is another team prominently on is radar in addition to Houston. That team is the Phoenix Suns.
— Brian Geltzeiler (@BGeltzNBA) May 15, 2023
The Suns are short on cap space so landing Harden would likely mean a sign-and-trade that includes them sending out Chris Paul. It’s not clear if the 76ers would be that interested in Paul but it’s certainly better than losing him for nothing and they might be able to squeeze some additional assets out of Phoenix.
Harden will enter next season with the same questions, regardless of where he plays. But Phoenix may actually be the best fit for him, with two other primary scorers to handle the load and him being allowed to fully recede into the background as a full-time point guard and facilitator and really just picking his spots as a scorer.