For the second season in a row, it’s hard to avoid hearing the rumors that NBA superstar James Harden potentially wants out of his current situation.
Although such conversations started only as whispers around league circles, they’ve recently grown louder to become an even more regular part of the daily scuttlebutt. After the Houston Rockets traded him to the Brooklyn Nets in Jan. 2021, there are at least reports that Harden could soon be on the move yet again.
Earlier this week on Monday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania wrote that the Philadelphia 76ers would prefer to trade Ben Simmons to land the 2018 NBA MVP in the offseason rather than settle for whatever package is potentially available right now.
Then, on Tuesday, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer wrote a sourced story that explained why Harden might welcome a departure from the Nets.
Fischer shared some crucial details impacting Harden’s potential decision, including a burning interest in testing free agency for the first time in his 13-year career, “frustrations” about Kyrie Irving’s part-time status, as well as a disappointment in Steve Nash’s “fluid” lineup rotations.
Recent reports suggest that not only could James Harden leave Brooklyn, but that he could be headed to a division rival in Philadelphia.
A collection of the reports, the factors at play, and what to watch for, via @USATODAY/@thenetswire:https://t.co/RuH9cPQ4sr
— Austin Krell (@NBAKrell) January 25, 2022
But the part that stood out most was Harden’s reported dismay about location. (Via Bleacher Report):
“His new city could also be an issue. According to multiple sources, Harden has not enjoyed living in Brooklyn, compared to his days as a central Houston magnate. Outside of the change in climate, the chasm between state taxes in New York versus Texas is quite obvious as well.”
As someone who has lived in Brooklyn since 2017, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that the weather is better here than it is in Texas. The winters are rough and the summers are sometimes too humid to function.
Basketball is played during the coldest months of the year, which means Harden (who grew up in the beautiful Southern California climate) has to brave some truly brutal conditions many months of the year.
However, the grass isn’t any greener in Philadelphia than it is in Brooklyn.
James Harden has not enjoyed living in Brooklyn and has voiced his frustrations regarding Kyrie Irving's part-time playing status, per B/R's @JakeLFischer
Harden has made it clear he intends to test out free agency even if it leads him back to the Nets pic.twitter.com/7bhI9QnGkO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 25, 2022
According to BestPlaces.net, an internet website that tells us more about the best places, there are 207 sunny days per year in Philadelphia. Compare that to Brooklyn, where there are 226. That’s almost three extra weeks of hanging out in the sun, baby!
While there is more snowfall in Brooklyn, the average low in January is 26 degrees in both cities. There is measurable precipitation on 118 days of the year in both cities. Both cities score a 7.3 on the “comfort index” that the site uses.
Perhaps the Sixers are an attractive alternative to the issues Harden is facing in Brooklyn. Philadelphia’s front office, which is run by former Rockets exec Daryl Morey, was eager to acquire Harden before he was traded to the Nets. Evidently, they’ve not given up hope on such an opportunity.
Meanwhile, of course, Harden has never played with a big man as dominant as Embiid — few on the planet have. The income tax rate would also be more favorable to Harden in Philly than it would be in New York City.
James Harden probably isn’t joining the 76ers, but I dove deep on the slim chance that he might and the obstacles to a deal, including:
– Philly’s hard cap concerns.
– Can the Sixers create cap space? (No).
– Does Harden have any leverage here?https://t.co/4iVXe05Qx6— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) January 24, 2022
All of that aside, if Harden chooses to exercise his player option then signs a max extension, the Nets could offer him a contract worth $269.9 million over the next five years.
If he opts out, the Sixers could offer a max contract of $200.1 million over four years. Either through a sign-and-trade or signing him outright, they’d also have to clear somewhere around $60 million from their books — thus hurting the depth of the team — to make room for him.
Would it really be worth leaving somewhere around $70 million on the table to go live in a city where the comfort index, as calculated by BestPlaces.net, is exactly the same as it is where he is now?
