The Houston Rockets reached a low point following their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers when James Harden said his situation with the team cannot be ‘fixed.’ Then John Wall took a not-so-subtle shot at the former NBA MVP. At this point, a trade is needed for both sides.

According to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Rockets are currently ‘sifting’ through trade offers for James Harden from both the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers.

Sources tell The Athletic the Rockets are sifting through offers on a potential James Harden from two teams — the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers — that could culminate quickly. Approximately two months after he first asked to be traded, and with the Rockets (3-6) plummeting while the strain of it all reveals itself so plainly among his teammates, the situation is clearly reaching a breaking point and a deal appears all but inevitable. But which one will the Rockets pick?

The Brooklyn Nets have been dealing with an unfavorable off-court situation of their own with Kyrie Irving. He has decided simply to not show up to play with the team and has yet to even provide an explanation regarding why that’s the case.

With how difficult it is to rely on Kyrie Irving to both stay healthy and mentally focused on basketball, it’s clear the Nets need a different secondary NBA superstar to pair with Kevin Durant. It only helps that James Harden has previous experience playing alongside Durant with the OKC Thunder.

The Philadelphia 76ers currently are receiving an NBA MVP level of impact from Joel Embiid and it’s important to capitalize on the prime of his career. Trading for a talent like James Harden would offer the 76ers with a tantalizing pick-and-roll and isolation duo that would be the best in the NBA.

It will be fascinating to see whether the Brooklyn Nets or Philadelphia 76ers manage to pull off the trade for James Harden. Whichever team does end up getting it done seems to be positioning themselves as the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference.