One of the most heated subplots thus far of the 2023 NBA offseason is James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers' continued standoff on the trade front. Harden appears to have reached the end of his rope, as he remains with the team after the Sixers front office decided to pull the plug on talks between them and the Los Angeles Clippers, The Beard's preferred destination. All things came to a head when Harden fired one of the most explosive shots in NBA history by calling Sixers president Daryl Morey a “liar” for failing to come through on his end of the bargain when Harden decided to opt into his contract for the 2023-24 season.

Of course, there's a debate to be had regarding the merit of Harden's decision to opt in. After all, if Harden did not have the Sixers front office's guarantee of a trade in writing, then it's futile for him to expect them to come through for him without fail.

And that is without taking into account the Sixers' best interests. With Joel Embiid coming off a season in which he won the MVP award, Daryl Morey and company wouldn't just accept any trade that sends James Harden out of town. They want to find a perfect solution for all parties, which means that any trade involving Harden must net them back pieces that allows them to remain contenders.

Given the Clippers' lack of trade assets, it's no surprise to see talks between them and the Sixers fall apart. So given this recent development, the door is opening up for every other contending team to, perhaps, make a play for Harden. And with that we ask, which dark-horse team could surprise the world by acquiring the 2018 NBA MVP?

Here are three teams that must consider trading for James Harden.

Miami Heat

Before we dive into why the Heat must pursue James Harden, perhaps as an alternative to Damian Lillard, it's important to note why some other contending teams won't make the list. The Boston Celtics don't exactly have the space in their cap sheet to fit Harden in, the Milwaukee Bucks won't risk upsetting team chemistry, and the other teams won't want to rock the boat too much. Meanwhile, some teams already have pieces they believe in who play in Harden's preferred positions, making acquiring him a clunky fit.

However, the Heat are ripe for an upgrade at both guard positions, and given their pursuit of Lillard that has stretched this deep into the offseason, it's clear that they're shooting for the stars in their bid to build a contending team around Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. With the Portland Trail Blazers yet to budge, the Heat could instead turn to the Sixers and gauge what their legitimate asking price is for Harden, and act accordingly.

James Harden is an impending free agent, so it stands to reason that the Sixers shouldn't be able to command too exorbitant a trade package for him, making him a more appealing target for the Heat. This also gives the them more leverage; if they show interest in a suitable alternative such as Harden, the Blazers could, perhaps, feel a greater sense of urgency to deal Damian Lillard to his preferred destination.

It's also difficult to envision the Heat front office put up with Harden's antics, so there's a chance the team could get him to buy in for the foreseeable future. Taking all of those into account, it might be shrewd for the Heat to go for it, risks be damned.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves, in 2022, were building a nice young core with Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns at the heart of their efforts to become a contending team in the long run. But they appeared to have jumped the gun, trading tons of draft picks for Rudy Gobert, a deal that hasn't quite worked out in the most ideal manner for them.

Given this newfound urgency to contend brought forth by their lack of picks in the forthcoming years, it may not be the worst idea in the world for the Timberwolves to deal whatever's left of their positive, tradeable assets for James Harden.

Of course, Edwards and Towns will be untouchable, and so will Jaden McDaniels, the player the team fought tooth and nail for just to keep out of the Gobert negotiations. With that said, it's the Sixers that might end up being the hesitant party in prospective trade talks, as the Timberwolves don't exactly have the assets they would want to remain as competitive as they'd like. But it's literally a no-lose proposition for the Timberwolves front office to float a call towards Daryl Morey and assess whether it's feasible for the two sides to come to an agreement.

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans, as presently constructed and for as long as Zion Williamson is healthy, should be primed to make some noise next season. After all, the team sat near or at the top of the Western Conference standings with Williamson playing at his best. Even then, it's not really a valid excuse for the team to stand pat, especially when there's a certain position that the addition of James Harden could improve.

CJ McCollum, as much of a godsend he was to close out the 2021-22 season, is not in the same tier of players as Harden. McCollum and Harden have both mastered the craft of creating space on the perimeter and creating shots for one's self, but what separates the two is Harden's elite playmaking — something that could stand to benefit the entire team.

But in any prospective Sixers-Pelicans trade talks, New Orleans will (or should) refuse to include Trey Murphy and Herb Jones. The former, especially, emerged as one of the best shooters in the league last season. He could even blossom into a fringe All-Star talent, given how rapidly he has improved over his two seasons in the league thus far.

In that case, the Sixers might ask for Dyson Daniels and Jordan Hawkins, as well as a few draft assets, for James Harden. If ever the Pelicans can stomach the risk, perhaps they could reap the rewards of adding to their roster a 20-10 threat who will make the lives of all his teammates easier.