NBA Rumors: James Harden backup plan, Pascal Siakam contract, Chet Holmgren hype

NBA Rumors: James Harden trade a backup plan for Miami Heat?

Things are getting ugly between James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers and Daryl Morey, specifically.

As things currently stand, the Sixers don’t plan to trade Harden before the start of the 2023-24 season. Meanwhile, Harden doesn’t plan on reporting to training camp with the team and also called Morey “a liar” while on a tour in China (and oddly while speaking to a group of children). There are also reports that “this is just the beginning” of how uncomfortable Harden plans to make things for Morey and the 76ers.

So we’re clearly in a standoff with a player who is beyond disgruntled, a league that doesn’t appear to interested in trading for his services, and a general manager who has proven he’s willing to wait these things out, even if it’s painful. What happens when a situation is this combustable?

Well, perhaps the Miami Heat could swoop in to save everyone.

Michael Saenz of Sir Charles in Charge recently suggested that trading for Harden could be a backup plan for the Heat as their reported interest in trading for Damian Lillard has not yielded any results to this point.

Harden’s age would likely be the biggest con if the Heat were to weigh such a Plan B as he’s looking for essentially his last big NBA contract. Would that be worth giving up the assets Morey is searching for? Perhaps not. But is it something that Miami should at the very least consider? Most definitely.