James Harden's Impending Trade Leaves NBA Fans Shocked amid Knicks, Clippers Rumors

In a surprising development, James Harden reportedly will exercise his $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season, but he won't be playing for the Philadelphia 76ers.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Harden and the Sixers "are beginning to work together in exploring trade scenarios." Wojnarowski added that the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers "are expected to be among the teams that'll engage" with Philadelphia on a potential deal for the 2018 NBA MVP.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported that the Clippers and Sixers "have been in contact this week." While there have been "wide-ranging talks on Marcus Morris and Norman Powell," there were also "separate ideas of trading for James Harden and Tobias Harris."

The expectation heading into the offseason was that Harden would either decline his option to explore free agency or sign an extension with the Sixers to continue his partnership with reigning MVP Joel Embiid.

The news that Harden will be traded shocked the basketball world, and NBA Twitter lit up with reactions:

Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and a league-high 10.7 assists and was named to his 10th All-Star Game last season. He will turn 34 years old in August, but it's clear that he can still be an impact player at this stage in his career.

The impending deal will mark the third time Harden has been traded in the last four years. It was just 18 months ago that he arrived to Philadelphia from the Brooklyn Nets, who had acquired him from the Houston Rockets in 2021.

This forthcoming trade will shake the landscape of the NBA, so all eyes will be on Harden while he tries to find his next landing spot.