The deal between the LA Clippers and James Harden is still making waves in the NBA.
What are the 76ers going to do with their new players and draft picks? What stars might become open next? The Chicago Bulls have a 2-5 start to the season. Could they become a possible deal partner?
For the latest NBA news and rumors, which mostly involve what happened after the Harden move, it’s time to play “fact or fiction.”
The Bulls have "no plans" to trade Zach LaVine
At a certain point, Chicago will have to take a good look at itself and admit that this core only works with Lonzo Ball.
It’s clear that not enough was done over the summer to improve the point guard position. Patrick Williams has slipped, and the defense is off to a 23rd-ranked start.
A hamster running on a wheel might be a better way to show what Chicago is like than the famous bull’s head. Even though things are happening, real progress has yet to be made.
Zach LaVine might or might not be a part of a restart if it does happen. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says the Bulls have “no intention” of trading the 28-year-old.
This is exactly the message that the front office would want to spread even if they did want to sell a player to try to make them more valuable.
LaVine is a great scorer, but he’s always been a bad defender who has yet to help his team win as a multiple-time All-Star should. In his 10th season, he has only ended with a positive swing rating twice. When their star guard is on the court, the Bulls lose 6.7 points for every 100 possessions.
The 28-year-old won’t have a lot of options because of his deal.
LaVine will make an average of $46 million from 2024 to 2027 as part of a five-year, $215 million deal. He is now in the second season of the deal.
He might be able to help the 76ers after Harden leaves, but taking on this much money would ruin Philly’s plan to keep cap space open next summer.
The Bulls should trade LaVine right away, even if it means giving up one first-round pick and some salary relief.
Fact or Fiction: Fiction. The Bulls should do everything they can to start over and get LaVine out of their deal. But his comeback won’t be great.
If the Clippers' test doesn't work out, James Harden might "be out of the league next year"
Every time James Harden has asked to be traded, his trade value has dropped a lot. It went from a sky-high value when he was traded from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets to the role players and draft picks the Los Angeles Clippers got him for now.
He’s 34 years old and has put a lot of miles on his tires (he’s already 68th all-time in regular-season and playoff minutes). Could this be the end of his career?
Ryan McDonough, the former GM of the Phoenix Suns, agrees that few teams are willing to trade for Harden.
“On his own, I don’t think there’s much interest in Harden.” Many teams don’t want him at any price, not even a low-paying job where he has to prove himself, he told SiriusXM NBA Radio. “I think it has to work in L.A.—if it doesn’t work, I think there’s a chance that he’s out of the league next year.”
In recent years, teams have been less interested in Harden. However, signing a player to a minimum deal is not the same as having to trade multiple first-round picks and players for him.
He was an NBA all-star 10 times and led the league in assists (10.7). He also scored over 20 points per game for the 11th straight year and had some great playoff games, scoring 40 or more points in two games against the Boston Celtics.
Few teams, like the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, and Phoenix Suns, should be able to refuse Harden’s mid-level exception next summer. Instead, they should welcome him to their core.
What a crazy idea! Harden would get a deal offer from at least one of the 30 teams next year, even if things go badly with the Clippers.
Fact or Fiction: Fiction. Harden isn’t worth nearly as much as he used to be, but he could still find a home on a winner as a free agent.
DeMar DeRozan "doesn't think about" extending his contract at all
The future of DeMar DeRozan will be the most important thing this season while the Bulls figure out what they’re doing. The forward will be a free agent next summer, so if Chicago starts to rebuild, there’s no reason for him to sign with them again.
The 34-year-old player is likely to get one last big deal because of his age, even though he’s still playing well.
The six-time All-Star did give an interesting answer when asked about not having a deal extension.
“To be honest, I don’t think about it at all.” I’ve never done that. It doesn’t bother or stress me out. Once more, I’m in charge of what I can manage. “Let it speak for itself when the time is right,” DeRozan told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
Suppose this is true; it would be good for DeRozan. Since he has already made more than $250 million in salary throughout his work ($256.4 million by the end of this year), money may not be as much of a worry as it used to be.
Overall, he is one of the NBA’s most loyal players. After being traded from the Toronto Raptors to the San Antonio Spurs, he stuck through a bad situation there, and now he’s doing everything he can to help the Bulls get back to the playoffs with a bad team without even mentioning a trade request.
We’d tell most players they shouldn’t even think about a deal. But when DeRozan talks, we believe him.
Fact or Fiction: Fact. DeRozan has made a lot of money throughout his career and should be able to focus on basketball full-time.
76ers to Monitor OG Anunoby and Donovan Mitchell
As the Philadelphia 76ers look around the league for stars who might become available, two Eastern Conference foes stand out.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype says that the 76ers “will keep an eye on” Donovan Mitchell’s situation in Cleveland. On the other hand, current Sixers head coach Nick Nurse and former Raptors head coach OG Anunoby say that Anunoby “is loved.”
Mitchell is clearly in a class by himself. He was an All-Star starter last year and scored 32.5 points per game, the most in the NBA. He’s under contract for both this year and next, and the Cavaliers could only move him if they have a terrible season.
But Anunoby is a much more likely target. Philly should either try to trade for the two-way star before the deadline or wait until the summer of 2024 when he can sign with any team he wants.
Bobby Marks of ESPN says that the Sixers could have $55.6 million in cap space after trading for James Harden. This would allow them to sign Anunoby without any restrictions and still have a lot of space left over. Of course, this would mean that the member of the All-Defensive Team in 2022–23 would not be able to play in the playoffs in 2024.
If the Raptors start to fall out of the playoff picture, Philadelphia will likely make a move for Anunoby at the trade deadline. At this point, Mitchell is still just a pipe dream.
Fact or Fiction: Fact that the Sixers can get Anunoby before the deadline, fiction that Mitchell becomes available this season.
