Can the Milwaukee Bucks land James Harden?

Will there be two MVP winners in Milwaukee?

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo has made it clear that he is open to joining another team in the future if he feels that he and the Milwaukee Bucks are not aligned in their pursuit of winning. It’s clear the Bucks need a jolt right now, and what better way for the team’s front office to do that than by acquiring former MVP James Harden?

James Harden for Jrue Holiday

The former league MVP has been lobbying to escape Philadelphia for a while now. With training camp just a few days away, the 76ers need to find a way to get Harden out of there while securing viable assets that could help them ascend the ladder in the Eastern Conference. 

The Bucks could be the team that gets Harden off their hands. While pulling the trigger on this trade will rock the Bucks’ boat, a look at Milwaukee’s offensive rating last season suggests that the Bucks could benefit from having The Beard on their roster.

“Milwaukee was right around average offensively last regular season. When Giannis was on the floor for each of the last two postseasons, the Bucks scored at an even lower rate than they did in 2022-23,” Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report wrote.

Although Antetokounmpo remains one of the NBA’s most unstoppable forces, his impact in the NBA Playoffs becomes less pronounced when opposing defenses load up on him.

“The Giannis-centric offense has become game-plannable, especially when opposing defenses have the luxury of seeing it over and over in a playoff setting. Hiring a new head coach may start to address the problem, but new personnel may be necessary for dramatic change,” Bailey added.

Elite playmaker

While Harden is no longer the kind of player he was during his days with the Houston Rockets, he remains an elite playmaker, dishing out a league-best 10.7 assists per game last season. “The Beard” is also far from the defensive pest that Jrue is, but he makes up for it with his scoring. He’s one of the greatest scorers ever and is still putting up buckets efficiently.

“Say what you will about the number of teams Harden has given up on in recent years and the fact that he's no longer at his peak, but he's still one of the game's best playmakers,” Bailey said.

“Over the last three seasons, Harden has averaged 22.3 points and 10.5 assists per game. During his career, including the last few seasons, Harden's teams have almost always scored at a high rate when he's on the floor.”