In the wake of the Philadelphia 76ers landing LeBron James, several other organizations who were hoping he would choose them now have some business to take care of.
The Cleveland Cavaliers being one of the most notable, as they have an unrestricted free agent in James Harden who everybody expects them to bring back on a healthy new deal that should be his last big payday in the league.
So why does Harden continue to get linked with the Phoenix Suns?
To be clear, not one credible source has suggested the 36-year-old will be heading to Phoenix this offseason. It's about as likely as this LeBron to the Suns idea Bill Simmons randomly threw out there. There has been some noise in the past, but that was when owner Mat Ishbia was being enamored with every shiny toy that came on the market.
Markieff Morris, in case you didn't know, is not a viable source on the matter either.
Former Suns forward Markieff Morris wants to see James Harden in the desert 👀☀️ pic.twitter.com/wR2HucbC23
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 22, 2026
But as long as Ishbia runs this team and shows a willingness to offer extensions to his players, Harden and his desire to chase the bag are going to be talked about as the perfect fit. If Dillon Brooks and Miles Bridges can likely receive extensions, why not Harden?
He would raise the floor of this group and makes sense alongside Devin Booker (offensively at least), while he played his college ball in Arizona as well.
Then there is the sudden return of the NBA of former fifth overall pick Mario Hezonja to the Cavaliers. For those who say there's no way Cleveland would follow up missing out on James with having Hezonja take some of a departing Harden's minutes, consider this.
The Suns themselves added Nigel Hayes-Davis from Europe in the wake of losing Kevin Durant, hoping he could play 15 minutes a night and provide some kind of offensive spark. Laughable to type one year later but it made sense at the time. Hezonja could be arriving because Harden is heading for the exit.
Even if that is the case, executing a sign-and-trade for his services is next to impossible, and the Suns really would be leaving all of the good vibes of last season in the rearview mirror.
It won't happen, it shouldn't happen, and yet it will be spoken about as a scenario that could happen. Phoenix is the perfect team for Harden's camp to use as leverage to get what he wants elsewhere, while Ishbia would probably take a swing at him if he could.
It is annoying, but it's not going to stop.
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