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The Phoenix Suns are coming off of an incredibly disappointing 2023-24 campaign, but they are apparently the betting favorites to sign James Harden if he leaves the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency.
The Suns have been given +400 odds to land Harden, placing them ahead of the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers, via Bet Online Sportsbook.
Here is the catch, though: Phoenix has extreme financial restrictions due to the money it is paying Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, so it would probably only be able to offer Harden the veteran's minimum.
Is that something Harden would be interested in?
Harden averaged 16.6 points, 8.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals over 34.3 minutes per game with the Clippers this past season. He shot 42.8 percent from the floor, 38.1 percent from three-point range and 87.8 percent from the free-throw line while playing alongside of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Would James Harden even fit with the Suns?
The Suns were supposed to be a superteam this year. Instead, they won just 49 games and got swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
The trio of Durant, Booker and Beal posted good numbers, but it was clear that something was wrong. Phoenix had a lot of difficulty in the fourth quarter all season long, and the chemistry between the team's big three seemed off.
It's not surprising, considering that all three guys are ball dominant. Typically, that doesn't really work.
So why would adding Harden make things any better?
Harden's reputation has taken a humongous hit in recent years. Earlier in his career, he was highly regarded for his incredibly efficient scoring and his terrific playmaking ability. Now, however, he is largely viewed as a playoff choker who actually submarines teams.
While that characterization may be a bit harsh, questioning Harden's value at this stage of his NBA tenure is legitimate. Since 2021, he has played for four different teams, and wherever he goes, problems seem to ensue.
Harden is still a subpar defender, and his clubs still can't seem to get over the hump in the postseason.
In Harden's defense, the Clippers were without Leonard for all but two games in Los Angeles' first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks this year, but the early exit was just the latest dent on what has become a rather unenviable postseason resume for Harden.
The idea of inserting Harden into a lineup that already contains three ball-dominant scorers sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. If anything, the Suns may need to part ways with one of their big three or, at the very least, invest more in fitting role players and defense, where Phoenix ranked just 13th this season.
Plus, Harden has shown clear signs of decline. He will be 35 years old at the start of the 2024-25 campaign. Do the Suns really want to get older?
During his peak years with the Houston Rockets, Harden functioned best when he was surrounded by shooters so he could drive and dish. I'm not sure he has enough left to be a No. 1 option again, but joining a club like Phoenix where he would somehow have to squeeze himself in is not exactly an ideal situation, either.
