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3 reasons the Phoenix Suns should avoid James Harden at all costs

Luke Duffy|
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MARCH 27: James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball against Chris Paul #3 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the NBA game at Footprint Center on March 27, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the 76ers 114-104. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MARCH 27: James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball against Chris Paul #3 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the NBA game at Footprint Center on March 27, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the 76ers 114-104. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 20: James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles against Royce O’Neale of the Brooklyn Nets. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 20: James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles against Royce O’Neale of the Brooklyn Nets. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

3 reasons the Phoenix Suns should avoid James Harden at all costs.

2. They have Devin Booker

It would be fair to say Harden hasn’t always had a stellar on the court relationship with his superstar teammates. Both he and Embiid certainly seemed to get on, but did they get the best out of one another? Losing a series when 3-2 up to a Boston Celtics team currently getting hammered by the Miami Heat would suggest not.

The experience with Russell Westbrook was also a bad one, and while Harden was right to call it quits with the Nets because he couldn’t rely on Kyrie Irving, we have been here before with him and Durant. That’s without considering Paul, who Harden also played with while with the Rockets and who was moved in favor of Westbrook.

Why would the Suns bring a player like that into the franchise, and in doing so take the ball out of Booker’s hands? A player who may just have turned in the best postseason resume of his still young career. Booker was by far the team’s best player, and his incredible scoring runs kept the Suns in the playoffs for as long as he possibly could.

Booker is only going to get better, and has helped lead the Suns to the NBA Finals already. To then add Harden to the mix would surely disenfranchise the player as he enters his own prime. We’ve mentioned already the need for a regular season so that Durant and Booker can figure out how best to share the ball.

It is something they will successfully do given time, and it needs to happen because Durant appeared too passive at times as a result of trying to fit into the flow of the team. Harden might not be the ball stopper that he once was, but he certainly plays the game at his own pace and he likes to see a lot of the ball.

His usage with the 76ers to date has been around the 25 percent mark, which was the lowest since his days with the Thunder. But to get the best out of Harden you do also need to give him the ball and let him work, but that would be blocking the continued rise of Booker. At this moment in time he’s probably better than Jayson Tatum. Why would the Suns do anything to disrupt that?

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