Everybody thinks it’s, like, Philly or Houston, but, I don’t know, there has been discussion in the wind.” “I don’t want to report anything, but that was in the wind for the past month or so. And I want you to keep your eye on James Harden,” Shelburne said during an appearance on ESPN 710’s Mason & Ireland. “They don’t do that unless they feel pretty good about somebody else. That same day, the Harden-to-Phoenix chatter added another notable nugget from Shelburne, who was live on ESPN radio when the news that Paul was set to be released first broke. As reports of Phoenix’s intent to waive Paul lingered, Fischer floated the idea of a p ossible Harden-for-CP3 trade, a scenario he claimed “has quietly circulated around some league personnel since the NBA draft combine in Chicago” back in mid-May. Interestingly, both reporters factored in the Suns’ ongoing situation with Chris Paul as a potential key to any Harden talks.

In the hours after Wednesday’s report, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports suggested Phoenix could look to add Harden, who is expected to decline his $35.6 million player option for the 2023–24 season ahead of the June 29 deadline, alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

However, as the speculation surrounding Harden’s future continues to ramp up, a potential third landing spot has attracted much attention following comments from multiple NBA insiders who believe the Suns could throw their hat in the ring. The latest news regarding James Harden’s pending free agency surprised NBA fans on Wednesday, after it was reported the veteran guard feels “torn” over the decision to return to the 76ers or re-join the Rockets, where he starred from 2012 to ’21.

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