NBA Trade Machine: Can Sixers acquire Zach LaVine by trading James Harden in 3-team trade deal?

The NBA Trade Machine can be used to explore how a three-team trade would go down and which players to include in the deal. The Philadelphia 76ers can look at other options for James Harden this season. This way, Harden could get his wishes granted by being traded to his preferred team.

Harden has no choice but to start the season with the Sixers and show the audience and other teams that he's still an effective star. His trade request to the LA Clippers hasn't moved, and it's likely to stay that way unless a new team gets involved.

Now, a new possibility has emerged in the Sixers trading away Harden.

The Chicago Bulls are still trying to compete in the Eastern Conference, though they weren't successful last year. During DeMar DeRozan's second year with the team, the Bulls finished 10th in the East and missed the postseason. That hasn't been a big problem for the front office, and they are still persistently trying to compete.

Adding the Bulls to the mix would encourage the Sixers and the Clippers to take their trade talks more seriously. However, that wouldn't be the best option for Chicago.

Ideally, Philly is looking for a star ready to contribute alongside Joel Embiid. Looking at what Los Angeles has to offer, there is no way that they'll be willing to give up Kawhi Leonard or Paul George. So, how will the potential three-team trade look?

You might also be interested in reading this: NBA Trade Machine: Can Raptors acquire Damian Lillard by trading OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr and other assets

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NBA Trade Machine: Breaking down the three-team trade

In the NBA Trade Machine, the Sixers will be giving up Harden and Furkan Korkmaz, who's got $5 million left in his deal. In exchange, they'll receive Zach LaVine from the Bulls, who had a five-year, $215M max contract extension last summer.

For the Clippers, they will be receiving the package of Harden and Korkmaz. Outgoing players will be Norman Powell, Marcus Morris Sr., and Terance Mann. With the three players, the Bulls won't have any problem compensating for the loss of LaVine. However, if they receive such a package of three role players, another option for Chicago is to trade them for another star.

The loser of this potential trade would be Chicago, as they are trying to be a consistent playoff team. They wouldn't be able to do that with only DeRozan as their star. The big winner would be the Clippers, as they'll form a new Big 3 with Harden, who has longed to be traded to their organization since the offseason.