Could The Chicago Bulls Be A Possible Landing Spot For James Harden?

We’ve passed rookie extension deadline. We’ve entered into the regular season. After months of waiting, it’s finally time to focus on actual basketball being played in the NBA.

Just kidding. James Harden is still out there on the trade market, and that situation remains a headline grabber, as it’s becoming increasingly untenable.

Harden wants out, as he’s made abundantly clear. His preferred destination – the Los Angeles Clippers – seem only lukewarm on the idea of adding the former MVP, hesitating to ship off what the Sixers are asking in return.

In fact, the Clippers removed themselves from the conversation at the beginning of the regular season to focus on the team in hand, led by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Seemingly, the organization wants to wait and see before they pull a trade for Harden, who is an unrestricted free agent this coming summer, and comes with several warning signs, including a frequently shifting mindset and devotion to the franchise he plays for.

After a social media post went semi-viral on Twitter, one team that’s caught the imagination of NBA fans as a possible landing spot for the 34-year-old is the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls have already made headlines this year, having a players only meeting after their opening night loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. While the current core of players have played together for a while, chemistry within the group hasn’t led to wins or a level of play expected from a trio of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vučević.

With the organization’s determination of staying competitive, it likely won’t be long before team president Arturas Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley have to make a call on some possible changes.

Obviously, the Bulls could decide to blow it up and start over – a strategy overwhelmingly preferred by the fan base – but that seems like a long-shot given the team’s dedication to adding win-now players and essentially going all-in.

So, what would a trade look like?

Former All-Star Zach LaVine has found himself in constant trade rumors over the past two years, which makes him an obvious candidate to get moved.

The high-scoring and high-efficiency guard is arguably better than Harden at this stage of his career – or at least projects as a cleaner fit for many franchises that already has a number one option in-hand, as the Sixers do with Joel Embiid.

Chicago would undoubtedly ask for a sweetener in such an arrangement, as they should given Harden’s ability to leave in July of 2024.

But would such a swap even fix some of Chicago’s problems?

You could argue Harden’s playmaking would help both Vučević and DeRozan get cleaner looks. You could also make the argument that Patrick Williams would be more freed up as a scorer, with Harden setting him up.

But that’s the optimistic view.

Harden could also find himself demotivated about not ending up in Los Angeles on a potential championship contender, and that could spill over into his performance on the floor.

It’s also fair to wonder if Harden, who likes to dribble and hold the ball for long stretches, would frustrate DeRozan, who has a tendency to do the same.

Finally, the biggest question is whether the Bulls can handle more drama. They’re already finding themselves in the media for all the wrong reasons, and history indicates Harden could eventually create headlines all on his own.

Perhaps the Bulls should actively look to pull off such a trade regardless of their concerns. If they spin it right, it could be a sneaky tank job.

Use the season to make Williams, in particular, better by having Harden set him up, flip DeRozan and Vučević at the trade deadline, and let Harden walk in July.

Bulls could end up with an improved Williams, whatever additional asset was included in the trade for Harden, the returns for DeRozan and Vučević – with Alex Caruso possibly included in that group – and money coming off the salary cap.

It’s not a clean rebuild like how the Thunder did theirs, but it’s a rebuild nonetheless, and one the Bulls seem to be sorely in need of.

With Chicago also in full control of their 2024 first-round pick, now might be a good time to make a return to the draft as one of the teams in contention for the top pick.

However, staying in reality, it’s more likely they trade for Harden in an honest attempt to win, which seems like a preposterous position to take. But given what Bulls leadership has shown over these past few years, that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.