James Harden Trade Rumors: Nets, Celtics, 76ers, Heat, Raptors Have Made Calls

The Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors are among the teams that have formally reached out to the Houston Rockets regarding a trade for James Harden.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN also reported the Milwaukee Bucks approached Giannis Antetokounmpo with the idea of adding Harden amid an "internal conversation" before ultimately deciding to not move forward. 

No trade appears close to being completed, with teams hesitant to meet the Rockets' understandably exorbitant asking price for a player of Harden's caliber. Harden has played brilliantly in each of Houston's first two games of the season (both losses), averaging 39.0 points, 12.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds despite clearly not being in peak condition.

None of the teams mentioned are particularly surprising; the Raptors are the only team not on Harden's reported list of acceptable destinations. The Nets are viewed as his preferred landing spot, with Harden wanting to pair up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. However, the Sixers have been long seen as the most logical pairing, given they can offer the best player in return in Ben Simmons.

For now, though, it appears likeliest that Harden remains a Rocket for the foreseeable future. The Sixers are off to a 3-1 start and have been steadfast in saying Simmons is not available in trade talks. The Nets lost a key piece of a potential trade package, Spencer Dinwiddie, for the season. It's unclear if the Celtics (Jaylen Brown) or Heat (Tyler Herro) would be willing to put their most logical, promising young player in a trade package.

The Raptors are never afraid of taking risks, but it's hard to find a workable trade fit.

Unless Harden goes full Jimmy Butler, this situation may wind up stretching into next summer.