NBA Rumors: 3 mystery teams who can out-bid Clippers for James Harden

2. New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans can hear the clock tick, tick, ticking on the Zion Williamson era. Injuries have decimated the former No. 1 pick's career and off-court noise has tainted his tenure in NOLA. But, when he's right, Williamson remains an absolute force of nature. The Pelicans are a healthy season away from contention.

Spend another year short of expectations, however, and the front office will face a harsh reality — and maybe even job insecurity. The Pelicans have a balanced roster with stars, up-and-coming young talent, and spunky role players. Trey Murphy is a widely proclaimed breakout candidate. Brandon Ingram is a legitimate All-Star. CJ McCollum, despite his many flaws, is a gifted combo guard perfectly built for the Pelicans' current group.

There isn't that much missing, to be honest, but David Griffin and the front office could desire a big swing as pressure mounts. New Orleans has the biggest cache of draft capital in the NBA outside of Oklahoma City. There are also several valuable role players and contract fillers to lob into a potential Harden trade. That Pelicans would probably build a package around McCollum, which could satiate the Sixers' desire to contend in the immediate future while also receiving draft picks to facilitate future trades.

Harden and Zion would need time to work out the fit. Zion has made his money on the ball for New Orleans, initiating the offense with his rim pressure and emerging as a genuine playmaker for others, as well as himself. He would spend more time in pick-and-roll actions with Harden, while Harden would also have to make sacrifices. Harden's willingness to space the floor and attempt spot-up 3s off Joel Embiid should assuage concerns for New Orleans' coaching staff.

Harden remains an absolutely elite offensive player. The pressure he and Zion would place on a defense — with Ingram connecting dots, Murphy bombing 3s, and Herb Jones wreaking havoc on the other end — might launch the Pelicans into the upper tier of the West. At the very least, it's an interesting concept.