Ranking the 5 NBA stars most likely to be traded after James Harden

Now that James Harden is finally with the Los Angeles Clippers everyone will shift their attention to the next big star who could be traded. Who tops the list right now?

Oct 9, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) and Chicago Bulls / Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

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The Philadelphia 76ers have finally done it. They've traded James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers in a deal that nets them two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a pick swap, and a whole bunch of expiring contracts. PJ Tucker and Filip Petrusev went with Harden to Los Angeles, with KJ Martin, Robert Covington, Marcus Morris and Nic Batum headed to Philadelphia.

This trade catapults the Clippers into the NBA Championship conversation and also puts an end to the ongoing Harden saga in Philadelphia. While Joel Embiid certainly won't be thrilled with the idea of trading Harden for a bunch of expiring contracts, the 76ers now have Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and a whole bunch of money and assets to get a third star to Philadelphia. The chances of him demanding a trade right now are still pretty low.

While Embiid leaving Philadelphia right now is unlikely, there are many stars that will follow Harden out the door from their respective teams. The order of this list is from most likely to be traded to least.

1. DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls

When DeMar DeRozan signed his three-year, $81.9 million deal to join the Chicago Bulls ahead of the 2021-22 season, many thought it was a massive overpay by the Bulls. Turns out, he's been worth every penny and then some for a Bulls team without much to celebrate in that time.

With DeRozan now in the final year of that contract, he's entered extension negotiations with the Bulls that have reportedly gone nowhere. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the two sides are apart in both years and dollars, which doesn't give Bulls fans much hope that an extension will be reached.

If no extension is reached for the 34-year-old anytime soon, Chicago needs to consider trading him. The core of DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic has done nothing in its time together, and they're only getting older.

Chicago had a players only meeting after just one game this season and currently sit on a record of 2-2. The Eastern Conference is a bit more open now after the Harden trade, but Chicago is still nowhere near as good as many top teams in the conference. Getting something for him and entering a rebuild is the best course of action for Chicago.

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