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Report: Raptors, Celtics favorites to land James Harden

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 12/20/20

The Houston Rockets recently expanded the list of trade destinations for James Harden beyond the three-time scoring champion's four-team list.

The Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat are the preferred destinations for Harden. However, two other Eastern Conference teams have reportedly emerged as favorites to land the All-Star guard.

According to John Granato of ESPN 97.5 Houston, the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics are considered favorites for Harden. He says the Raptors would have to be willing to part ways with Pascal Siakam while the Celtics would have to let go of Jaylen Brown.

An impeccable source says the Raptors and the Celtics are the favorites right now for James Harden. It’d be a package for Pascal Siakam and more or Jaylen Brown and more.
— John Granato (@johngranato) December 20, 2020

It's unclear if the Celtics and/or Raptors would be willing to part ways with those assets.

However, this isn't the first time Boston has been linked to Harden. During the offseason, there were reports the Celtics were interested in acquiring the 31-year-old. Brown and Marcus Smart were often brought up in those reports.

As for the Raptors, Toronto would be able to surround Harden with some pretty valuable assets, including Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell.

The Celtics and Raptors are looking for star power to add to their rosters with the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving-led Brooklyn Nets projected to be the favorite in the East. Similarly, the Milwaukee Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo locked up long-term, so both teams need to make a move in order to remain competitive.

Harden is on the Rockets' payroll for two more seasons and has a $47.4 million player option for 2022-23.

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