NBA free agency is almost about to (officially) begin, which means that the Philadelphia 76ers' offseason is really about to heat up. James Harden's decision remains the biggest Sixers storyline but one of the subplots will be what happens with Tobias Harris, who has been in countless trade rumors and is on a contract set to expire.

The Phoenix Suns have an interest in acquiring Harris to put alongside their new star trio, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, but the Sixers are dragging their feet when it comes to finding a trade that works.

“A source said the Suns want Harris to play alongside Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. And they want to acquire him before the start of free agency on June 30 because of possible second apron ramifications,” writes Pompey. He adds that the Suns would have to trade Deandre Ayton in order to make the trade work. But not only are the Sixers not interested in the soon-to-be-25-year-old center, they don’t even have the desire to figure out a three-team deal.

The Sixers, understandably, aren’t interested in acquiring Ayton, who plays Joel Embiid's position and is an oft-disappointing playoff performer. Their unwillingness to facilitate a three-team deal speaks to how badly they don’t want to trade Harris. Another way they showed this was by telling the Cleveland Cavaliers they would only give them Harris in exchange for Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and a draft pick.

Many fans read into the rumor as a legitimate trade offer instead of what it actually was: a creative way for the Sixers to explain to the Cavs that they’re not going to part with Harris easily. It was not a proposal Philly brought to the table with the intention of making a deal. Still, it's peculiar that the Sixers are driving such a hard bargain for a non-star player on an expiring contract.

The Sixers need to come back down to earth and realize that trading Harris is the most obvious way to upgrade the team around Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and (should he re-sign) Harden. Although he plays well on both ends of the floor, they need to either find players that better suit the team's needs or use his contract to add multiple depth pieces.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM refutes the Suns' interest in Harris and doesn’t expect Ayton to be moved but it could benefit both parties to bring in a well-respected veteran and provide Ayton with a clean slate. After this story was published, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report said that Phoenix is planning to keep Ayton. (And later after that, Pompey confirmed that report and added that the Suns are pausing their pursuit of Harris.)

Although a trade moving Harris to Phoenix does not appear to be in the works, the Suns and the Sixers would most likely be better off making a three-team deal.

Here are three trade ideas for the Sixers should offer the Suns that would send Harris to Phoenix and bring some helpful role players to Philly.

3.  Terry Rozier and Cody Martin

The Sixers receive Rozier and Martin, the Charlotte Hornets receive Ayton and draft compensation and the Suns receive Harris.

The Charlotte Hornets have been mentioned as a potential trade destination for Ayton. If they do wish to get a center that can score on his own in the post and has more experience than Mark Williams and Nick Richards, Ayton could be their guy.

Rozier is coming off of a bad shooting season due partly to the fact that he had to do a lot of the offensive creation himself. On rosters where he can attack the gaps rather than make them himself, he has shot very efficiently from deep. Moving on from him in exchange for Ayton could help Charlotte give more playing time to rookie Nick Smith Jr. and use Williams or Richards to swing another trade.

In the increasingly likely event that Harden stays put, Rozier would have to be willing to accept a bench role with the Sixers for this trade to really work. The space he would have to cook alongside the Sixers' stars may make the transition worthwhile. A scoring option like Rozier would benefit Philly and with less of a burden, Rozier would have more room to impact the game in other ways, too.

Martin would also be a great addition to the Sixers. A strong defender and athlete standing at 6-foot-5, he could be a strong bench option on a Philly squad with needs in both categories. Philly would likely have to pony up a draft pick to get Charlotte to part with two solid player under contract for several more years.

2. Buddy Hield and Jordan Nwora

The Sixers receive Hield and Nwora, the Indiana Pacers receive Ayton and the Suns receive Harris.

The Pacers' interest in Ayton was clear last summer when they signed him to an offer sheet that the Suns ended up matching. If they still want to pair Tyrese Haliburton with the dominant post scorer, they could land him by parting with two of their wings. It may be hard for the Pacers to part with Hield, who was on the receiving end of a ton of Haliburton's passes. They have other good, young guards around him, though, and they may be willing to move on from him if they plan Ayton.

Hield's shooting would add a new element to the Sixers' offense. Although he is limited in a lot of ways, being an elite shooter is enough to make him a solid fit in Philly. He would space the floor very well and serve as the high-volume shooter that, like JJ Redick and Seth Curry, works wonders in a partnership with Embiid.

Nwora would be more of an upside play for the Sixers but he is the type of guy that Nick Nurse seems to like. He's a strong three-point shooter and stands at 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan. Although Hield's contract is almost, up adding two shooters for the price of one starter would be a good move for the Sixers.

1. De'Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic

The Sixers receive Hunter and Bogdanovic, the Atlanta Hawks receive Ayton and draft compensation and the Suns receive Harris.

Betting odds and the rumor mill both link Ayton to the Atlanta Hawks despite Clint Capela being a serviceable option under contract. The Hawks could land someone they seemingly believe to be an upgrade and free up some space in their rotation for up-and-coming guys.

After drafting Kobe Bufkin 15th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, it would help the Hawks to declutter their wings since they also already have Jalen Johnson, AJ Griffin and Saddiq Bey. They have two older wings that would help the Sixers add more depth.

Hunter has the looks of a prototypical 3-and-D guy but has not been super effective throughout his four-year career. Still, the Hawks signed him to an extension worth $90 million over four years. That's not an albatross of a contract but it’s certainly one that Atlanta isn’t too keen to have on its books. The Sixers can handle it and potentially get more out of the Philly native. At the very worst, they can use it in future trades.

Bogdanovic is a perimeter-centric scorer that could give the Sixers offense a real boost coming off of the bench. Giving Harden or Maxey a break only to have the smooth-shooting wing take their place would give them the firepower to exert 48 minutes of pressure on opposing perimeter defenses. For Philly to get him, it would likely require sending a second-round pick to Atlanta.