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James Harden apparently made it abundantly clear Thursday that he wants out of Philadelphia. And the New York Knicks were coming in at 4-1 odds for a payout potential of $400 on every $100 bet.
Harden is likely to be playing for his third team in three years after he exercised his $35.6 million player option and requested a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers.
"Should he feel disrespected? And my answer would be, 'You're damn right.' He better feel disrespected," the former Bulls guard turned ESPN analyst Jay Williams said. "I'm not saying he's deserving of a long-term contract, but due to the fact the market has shrunk on the attention around James Harden, he better feel disrespected."
Stephen Noh of Sporting News explains why the Knicks might make a good fit for Harden.
They've long been building up their asset base in order to trade for a star. After striking out on their attempts at Donovan Mitchell last summer, Harden could be even better. They have multiple extra first-round picks, salary-matching options in RJ Barrett, Evan Fournier, and Isaiah Hartenstein, and promising young players like Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, and Obi Toppin.
The more likely scenario would be Harden joining the LA Clippers. BetOnline has LA listed as the favorite for landing Harden at 2-3 odds.
The Clippers make sense as a landing spot for a ton of reasons. They have already been rumored to have interest, per The Philly Voice’s Kyle Neubeck and Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes. They have a lot of mid-tier salaries that could be used in a trade, such as Norman Powell and Marcus Morris, and they have the ninth-best title odds.
Harden is widely considered among the best free agents of the summer.
James Harden Next Team
Los Angeles Clippers 2-3 (-150)
New York Knicks 4-1
Miami Heat 6-1
Atlanta Hawks 7-1
Chicago Bulls 8-1
Dallas Mavericks 10-1
Houston Rockets 10-1
New Orleans Pelicans 10-1
Memphis Grizzlies 12-1
Toronto Raptors 12-1
San Antonio Spurs 14-1
Boston Celtics 18-1
Los Angeles Lakers 25-1
Phoenix Suns 25-1
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
