Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden (1) Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Analysts go off over suggestion James Harden should join Lakers

By Jeff Smith | Last updated 6/16/23

The curious case of James Harden's NBA free agency comes with plenty of question marks, a lot of debate, and now, a bit of confusion mixed in. While the early free agency chatter points to Harden likely either returning to the Philadelphia 76ers or going back to the Houston Rockets, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins has other ideas.

During a breakdown of Harden's free agency on ESPN's First Take, Perkins made the argument for why he believes the 33-year-old guard could be a good fit for the Lakers.

.@KendrickPerkins thinks James Harden could fit in with the Lakers Agree? pic.twitter.com/aeYderSvl8
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 15, 2023

The reactions and responses to that idea were so strong that his fellow ESPN employees, Mike Greenberg and Brian Windhorst couldn't help but turn that idea around and send it packing immediately while discussing the topic on ESPN's 'Get Up.'

During the conversation, Greenberg called the idea of Harden going to the Lakers would be the "worst fit" he could "ever possibly imagine." Windhorst kept the train rolling by stating that he'd like to "pour liquid nitrogen on this take for about 30 reasons." He went on to point out that Harden is looking for a pay raise, while joining the Lakers would require a pay cut.

The trio, which included Alan Hahn joked that they would be "happy to see it" due to the daily headlines Harden with the Lakers would bring.

All kidding aside, there's virtually no world where Harden joining the Lakers currently makes sense. The money doesn't line up, Harden wouldn't step in and address some of the team's biggest areas of needs, and there are just better ways the Lakers can and should spend their money this offseason.

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