1) Why Chicago Bulls could make sense for Harden
Team is improving in almost every facet
When the reports started emerging that the Reinsdorfs were ready to start making changes within the Bulls organization at the outset of the current offseason, it was hard to believe anything material would actually happen. The Bulls are usually one of the most conservative and lagging organizations in the NBA, largely to the detriment of their public image.
But all of the changes that were made in the front office and to the coaching staff namely this offseason have almost completely reshifted the look of this organization from the top-down. There’s no more Forman and Boylen, and Paxson is demoted. Donovan is a proven winner that is heading up the coaching staff, and Karnisovas brings his credible experience from building up the Nuggets to the table.
The Bulls also have the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery to continue to build more of an immediate playoff contender in the Eastern Conference around if they were to trade for a true superstar like Harden. There are actually a lot of signs of life that the Bulls have heading into the fourth year of the rebuild.
Trading for Harden means that the Bulls would no longer be in rebuild mode, though. They could start piecing a better roster with a supporting cast of the likes of point guard Coby White, OPJ, LaVine, Markkanen, WCJ, etc. (depending on who they keep if this trade were to transpire) along with their lottery pick this year.