NBA Rumors: James Harden can be replaced by Fred VanVleet for 76ers

There have been rumors that James Harden could leave the Philadelphia 76ers to re-join the Houston Rockets as a free agent this offseason. Philadelphia is reportedly targeting Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, who will also be a free agent, if James Harden does decide to leave.

Former Raptors coach Nick Nurse was recently hired by the 76ers. VanVleet has spent his entire career playing under Nurse, who was an assistant coach the first two years of his career. The 2019-20 Coach of the Year was given the head coaching job ahead of the one-time All-Star's third year in the league. The pair went on to win the first championship in franchise history that season.

VanVleet became a full-time starter in 2019-2020 and has remained in the role for the past four seasons. Over that stretch, he has averaged 19.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting 39.9% from the field, 36.7% from 3-point range and 87.8% from the free-throw line.

Discussing the 76ers' coaching hire, the 2021-2022 All-Star hinted that he could be following Nurse:

"I think he'll have some success. Hopefully, not too much if I'm not there and I'm staying in Toronto then we want him to fail, but I'm happy that he landed on his feet. ... He's certainly one of the top coaches in the NBA, and we saw that with us winning a championship. That bond that we have, that's a lifelong thing."

Check out Fred VanVleet's full comments on Nick Nurse below.

Can the 76ers pay Fred VanVleet if James Harden departs?

While the Philadelphia 76ers would like to add Fred VanVleet if James Harden leaves the organization, they will likely need help to do so. Even without Harden on the books and with renouncing all of their free agents, the 76ers will have just $6 million in cap space. That number will be well short of what VanVleet will command as a free agent this season.

Philadelphia could look to move Tobias Harris and his $39.3 million contract in a sign-and-trade. However, they would likely need to attach compensation to find a willing trade partner. The same situation applies for P.J. Tucker's $11.0 million contract, on which he has a player option for 2024-2025. Furthermore, both players are veterans who the Toronto Raptors likely have no interest in.

The 76ers' best opportuntiy to land Fred VanVleet, if James Harden departs, would be to attempt to involve the team signing Harden in a three-team trade. While they would likely have to compensate both that team and the Raptors, it remains the most likely path to bringing in the one-time All-Star.