James Harden to the Raptors? Why Toronto should — and should not — trade for 76ers star

James Harden's trade request took yet another turn this week.

After ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported over the weekend that the 76ers have "ended trade talks" on Harden and plan to bring him back to training camp, the 10-time All-Star went on the attack.

"Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of," Harden said about Philadelphia's president of basketball operations. "Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of."

There are rules in place that are intended to prevent players from simply sitting out, but Harden sure does seem to be dead set on being elsewhere next season. Should that be music to Masai Ujiri's ears?

Here's the case for and against the Raptors trading for Harden.

MORE: Dennis Schroder shows skills he brings to Raptors in loss to Canada

Why the Raptors should trade for James Harden

Even in his mid-30s, Harden is one of the better guards in the NBA.

Harden is coming off a season in which he averaged 21.0 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game. He wasn't named an All-Star and didn't make an All-NBA team, but he was in the conversation for both.

Between his scoring and passing, Harden remains an incredibly productive offensive player. He hasn't been the same finisher around the basket since his recent run of injuries, but he was still among the league leaders in drives and made 3s last season. And while he's best known for his scoring, he's an excellent playmaker for others.

Since being traded to Philadelphia, the 76ers have been a significantly better team offensively with Harden on the court. Particularly last season, he helped Joel Embiid become a more efficient and well-rounded scorer.

There's no question Harden could boost a Raptors team that has had a middling offense, struggles to score in the halfcourt and lost their starting point guard this offseason. The 76ers have a high asking price for him, but he might be more gettable than other stars such as Damian Lillard given his age and contract status. (Harden will be an unrestricted free agent following the 2023-24 season.)

If the Raptors want to compete for another championship sooner rather than later and could get Harden without giving up Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby or Scottie Barnes, a trade would be worth exploring. A starting five of Harden, Anunoby, Barnes, Siakam and Jakob Poeltl would pack a punch offensively.

The fit defensively wouldn't be as clean — Harden has never been known for his effort on that end of the court — but Anunoby, Barnes, Siakam and Poeltl are the ideal types of defenders to cover for him.

Why the Raptors shouldn't trade for James Harden

There are a few reasons why Harden probably isn't what the Raptors are looking for.

First and foremost, Harden isn't on the same timeline as other players on Toronto's roster and he could easily be a one-year rental. He's entering the final year of his contract, has played for three different teams over the last three seasons and is reportedly interested in playing for the Clippers.

MORE: Breaking down Raptors' in-season tournament schedule

Secondly, the asking price. Who knows if Morey will get what he wants, but he has made it clear that he will not trade Harden if they don't get either "a very good player" or something they can turn into "a very good player," which makes sense seeing as they're trying to make the most of Embiid's prime.

There's a chance Morey would only want Siakam, Anunoby or Barnes. In which case, it's not hard to imagine the Raptors saying no considering Harden's age and contract status.

Thirdly, as productive as Harden has been in the regular season, he hasn't been quite the same player in the postseason. The 2023 NBA Playoffs were no exception. He had two of the best playoff performances of his career, but overall, he averaged fewer points (20.3) and fewer assists (8.3) than he did in the regular season while shooting 39.3 percent from the field.

That feeds naturally into Harden's playing style. He deserves credit for changing his game in Philadelphia, but former 76ers head coach Doc Rivers said after he was fired that coaching Harden was "challenging" because they didn't always see eye-to-eye on how to play winning basketball.

There have been rumblings of players on the Raptors not being happy with their roles. Adding Harden, a ball-dominant guard who likes to play a particular way, might not be the answer to solving that problem.