The Rockets found a way to accommodate Russell Westbrook, essentially swapping him for another burdensome contract in John Wall. Will they be able to do the same for James Harden?
On paper, Harden does not seem to have much leverage. He’s got three years and $133MM remaining on his contract, including a $47MM player option in the final year. But when was the last time a superstar wanted to be traded and didn’t eventually get his wish?
Harden wants to go to the Nets, Sixers, Bucks or Heat, but that’s not a simple task. Brooklyn would seemingly have the assets to pull it off and create a fearsome trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Harden but it could also turn out badly with three headstrong perennial All-Stars trying to mesh their talents.
The Sixers would likely have to give up Ben Simmons but would a pairing of Harden and Joel Embiid work better? New coach Doc Rivers believes he can find ways to maximize the talents of Simmons and Embiid.
The Bucks would seem to be an unlikely destination unless Giannis Antetokounmpo demands it as an incentive to sign a supermax extension. Even then, Milwaukee probably wouldn’t have the assets to pull it off.
Pat Riley has never shied away from bold moves but he seems to have a good thing going. Would the Heat president gut the rotation and go all in on a Harden-Jimmy Butler–Bam Adebayo trio? It’s more likely Riley will wait to see what the free agent market brings next summer.
That leads us to our question of the day: Where do you believe James Harden will wind up this season?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Nets seem like they’ll offer the most, and have the future draft picks I’d want most of those 4
He should wind up where he already is. Nothing to see here.
End the hero worship of Harden already. He has never delivered a thing for your team.
Odd, I thought he has delivered a playoff trip every single year he has been there. Not even LeBron can say that.
Almost means nothing in NBA. No title no GOAT. He has been in Hou the better part of a decade and its all failure and unrealized potential lols. He is the Rusty Venture of the NBA learning each different way to lose to the GSW on their way to a title.
So if you don’t consider him the greatest of all time, then he is just a bum? Man, I would hate to have you for a parent. Who cares if you got an A, you couldn’t get an A+? You’re out of the family!
I think he is a good player one of the better in the NBA with a lot of empty stats, and a lot of points on BS rip throughs that shouldnt even be fouls when your hunting instead of really shooting.
Harden thinks he is the GOAT!
I’m not saying he is not an egomaniac, but that is true of a LOT of NBA players. Of course, when you have people telling you you are the greatest from junior high on, whether true or not, you are bound to get a swelled ego.
In fairness to him, he is not the one calling the fouls. It really sounds like your issue is with the refs. Do you really expect him to go to the refs and say that it wasn’t a foul or something?
Lebron has delivered championships. What has Harden delivered…other than disappointment…latest coming in the form of telling the fanbase he simply wants out.
LeBron has been to the Finals in his last 10 playoff appearances whereas James Harden has never even made the Finals with the Rockets. “Delivering a playoff trip every single year” is not a noteworthy accomplishment.
Okay, so the guy is not LeBron. Very few in NBA history have been close to that. This is not Ricky Bobby land we are living in. The phrase “if you are not first, you are last” should not apply.
“’Delivering a playoff trip every single year’ is not a noteworthy accomplishment.” If you are the only player in the league to do it, then yes it is a VERY noteworthy accomplishment.
Yea can’t compare those two at all. Different players and different careers.
Harden and James did both push the warriors to their max, one of the best teams ever. Lebron has won titles and gone to finals, but he also did most of his work in eastern conference where it was an easier path in comparison.
A playoff trip every single year in a league where 8 teams make it per conference. All you have to do is be average and you’re in. No one is disputing he can put up stats and win enough games to be a playoff team. When he matters most he has come up soft too many times to count. Its about championships. Kobe would laugh at your mentality.
Who cares about Kobe?
He’s St Kobe, don’t you know? LOLOL!!!!!
If all you have to do is be average and you’re in, then why is Houston the only team that has made it 8 years in a row? Besides, it’s not like they were sneaking into the playoffs as the 8 seed. Well they did twice, but the rest of the time their seeds were 4, 2, 3, 1, 4, and 4. That is not average.
As an aside, do you really think telling me what you think Kobe would think of me is really going to affect me in any way? I honestly wouldn’t care if Kobe himself told me that, but I definitely don’t care about your opinion of what he would say.
@hiflew, lol why are you the softest person on here? You think everything is a personal attack. I didn’t bring up Kobe to effect you. It was to show how much of a losers mentality it is to count things like playoff appearances without championships. It would be one thing if Houston had at least made 1 finals. Burt they haven’t even done that because Harden chokes every year and never takes accountability. Rockets are on their 3rd overpaid teammate for Harden in 3 years because he can never make it work. They will be so much better off trading him and ending this saga.
Beside that I’d say that HOU brought some excitement in 2018 which all season long was probably the most boring NBA season of last decade due to GSW hegemony. WCF were THE FINALS of thate year.
And why did the Rockets lose? Who failed to score down the stretch to hold a solid lead after Paul went down with an injury? Harden is a great regular season player and a failure under pressure.
I’d say the blood is more on D’Antoni’s hands than his because if 27 missed shots in the row don’t tell you to change something in your game plan than I don’t know what do.
I was wondering when you would change your name. LMAO honestly the most satisfying thing to happen in a long time.
76ers. They’ll move on from Simmons at some point, and when they do a few teams will be willing to facilitate a deal. Simmons is a player a lot of teams would get aggressive for, and as long as Simmons goes West, Philly should be fine with it.
But no deals will be made until Philly sees what they can do with what they have.
I think that could be a win win deal. A Harden-Embiid pairing would probably be better than a Simmons-Embiid pairing just from the positional aspect. But the pairing I would love to see is Wall-Simmons. Seeing Simmons paired up with a real distributing PG instead of him trying to be a PG/PF hybrid could bring out the potential that has lacked. Houston playing him at the 3 (or the 4 in small lineups) would be very interesting.
Harden and Embiid could be a really interesting combination I think you’re right there. But if you’re the 76ers why give up Simmons when basically the Rockets backs are against the wall and at some point they’re basically going to have to just take ‘anything they can get’ for Harden or go on playing with him causing a stink the whole time. Idk if I were a GM I’d be weary of trading for Harden he seems to be becoming more or a problem than he’s worth — and just seems to not be a good teammate no matter how many points he can score.
Yeah as a west coast guy I like that idea. I like it as a duo set up to implode like Durant and Irving.
The Rockets backs are against the wall, but the Sixers are not the only bidder either. This is not an Anthony Davis to the Lakers situation. With that the Pelicans were just killed because he openly stated he would re-sign with the Lakers, so it destroyed any chance to get full value for him. And even then, the Pelicans did not do bad with the return.
If you are the Sixers, you might think you have the advantage, but what if the Rockets say no and then deal him to the Nets? Everyone here is clowning on Harden, but very few teams would want him as a divisional rival. There are enough bidders that the Rockets are not going to have to give him away for nothing. Plus he is under contract for three more years and the Rockets are not obligated to trade him at all. They could just say, you are playing with us regardless. Your other choice is retirement.
Houston fans are hilariously distant from a realistic perspective. They have that in common with Northern Californians, which is why it’s amusing to see them bicker.
I’m not a Houston fan, I am an NBA fan. I like to argue with anyone that either gives their team too much credit or gives their rival too little credit.
Morey would know better than anyone.
greed although I don’t think Philly waits all that long. Unless Simmons comes out the gate with a jump shot I’m not sure what schemes Doc can run that haven’t already been tried.
From Houston’s side it’s their best potential offer by far. The only thing I would worry about on Philly’s side is: Is James Harden ready to truly share the stage with someone? Or is he just a guy who wants to get his 35-40 a night no matter the cost?
If you think Harden buys into sacrificing stats for a ring then a Harden-Embiid duo puts you in the conversation for a ring for 3-5 years, so I think you pull the trigger.
James Harden is a fool. The end.
Best comment in this thread
it doesn’t seem like most of the teams want to give up their number 2 player.
Bucks could give up Middleton, a perennial all star and around 25th ranked guy in the league. DiVincenzo, good all around player on his rookie deal.
Wilson, to make the salaries match up.
Teams offering just rotation pieces probably couldn’t match salaries.
The Bucks/Horst could find motivation via dissatisfaction with Jrue Holiday. Jrue is good but may not live up to excessive expectations. And there’s placating Giannis. But they gave up numerous picks to get Jrue, so cannot offer more.
Atlanta got more talent than necessary in the offseason and would be motivated to move them for a needle-moving talent. Trae Young, John Collins, Reddish, Huerter, Hunter, Okonwu, Bogans, Gallinari. Trading the latter two would require a wait. Capela can be returned too.
Harden is what GM Morey intended him to be. With Morey gone he should look forward to seeing what he can do without him, not saying Get me out of here. Following him to Philly?— Ben Simmons is too good for Fertita.
Harden is a loser why would you want him in your team? The rockets already gave him all the players he wants to surround him in chasing a title. Hes a scoring champion , a superstar a very good player but….. hes not a good teamate!
I hope he winds up stuck where he is. Serves him right acting like a child throwing a temper tantrum wanting to be traded and demanding it be one of 4 teams (of which… half of them don’t even have the ability/pieces/contracts to acquire him)… like at some point he’s got to look in the mirror and realize it’s not the organization/players around him that’s holding him back… it’s him!
And hopefully hes pouting and holding out so fans don’t have to watch his unwatchable style this season, would be a real plus for the season.
*He should wind up where he already is…
*End the hero worship of him…
*A loser…
*Not a good teammate…
*Acts like a child throwing temper tantrums…
*Needs to look in the mirror and see it’s not the organization that’s holding him back…
*Is a fool. The end…
*More of a problem than he’s worth…
Jeez, I’m glad we VOTED him out ;)
All I know is “me first” players have never, and will never succeed on the Heat. The first sign there was trouble, Shaq flamed out…. Antoine Walker was the perfect fit year one.. was gone before year 3 (ditto Jason Williams). Michael Beasley came in with everyone thinking he was the next big thing… took 2 seasons for him to be wearing another uniform. Mike Bibby didn’t last 3 months in a Heat uniform. Hassan Whiteside tried for awhile.. but as soon as he got paid his true colors came out. These type of guys don’t last in Miami… James Harden is that type of guy.
Not sure Antoine Walker should really be one of the main points of your comment haha… I mean by the time he got to the heat he had really already flamed out (no pun intended). It’s not like the Heat added him thinking they were getting a superstar… he joined the Heat after basically deteriorating as a player for several seasons prior.
Honestly, the guy is comparing James Harden, like him or not is a probable Hall of Fame player, to Michael Beasley and Jason Williams. That’s not exactly a quality argument.
Shaq flamed out? Yeah he did, after his 15th year in the league. The guy got you an NBA championship. Did you expect him to last forever?
Philly
Probably, the SIXERS ……… NETS obviously won’t give KD or Kyrie, HEAT won’t give Herro, BUCKS have no one and no picks to give.
Though ROCKETS should kick the tires on a trade with the CAVS (Love, KPJ, Osman + Picks) ……… Love fits Wall’s timeline better and those picks will look good down the road.
Just don’t see him on Sixers. They made good changes I think. They should make one more. Ben to Forward. Milton start at PG. Harden is not a good mix with Embiid. Sixers should just let Doc build this teams chemistry. At TD there will be a scoring PG available. Like D Rose. Or trade for Halliburton.
Sixers will test out what they have before trading for Harden. if they get off to a poor start then they might be willing to do a harden trade. What most people don’t get is Harden will not be traded early because the Rockets will want a lot for him. If he sits and pouts on the bench it will be a trade for other assets.
Harden seems like the type of move a team desperate to keep its superstar will trade for.
I think Milwaukee finds a way to get him.
Then John Wall gets traded to the Lakers for Kyle Kuzma and Dennis Schroder in the 2022 season
#FreeTheBeard
Harden + Knicks
PB + Jelly
Peas + Carrots
Then next knicks try for Kyrie.
2 superstars, harden + kyrie
Aliens would see humanity had finslly made a good decision. And bring peace.
If the Sixers deal was made primarily around Tobias Harris, I could see it being a good thing. Harris and Simmons have been known to “disappear” and Harden is a takeover kind of guy.
When will it end. This is why I do not watch or care about the nba anymore. A bunch of overpaid prima donnas Honor your contract or stay at home
But you will take your time to comment here (check)
“Where do you think Harden will end up this year?”
Followed by 93 comments about how Harden is an idiot.
Good talk.
Ha right, I was hoping to see more potential proposals/packages from fan bases
Although these boards get off track sometimes theres actually some really intelligent packages that have been thrown around in here that are worth digesting –
Far cry from the 12 yr olds over on the baseball boards
Harden can score no doubt but he’s useless on D. He’s going to Nets with the other two malcontents.
When was the last time a Chip was won by upset? Pretty much since LBJ, Bosh, and Wade went to Miami? Point is, players want to be the favorites. They look at the lineups of the warriors of old, the lakers of now, and say to themselves, “ We can’t beat them, We have to become the favorites”. It’s a joke. Damian Lillard is the last true competitive All star. This Rockets team is as good as any in previous seasons except perhaps CP3, Harden should bust his ass and compete this season, or send him to a team that’s best for the Rockets. He is talking like he has a no trade clause with his preferred destinations. If I’m Houston and Harden doesn’t play, I’m telling him either get with the program or I’m sending you to Charlotte
I’d trade Harden for Hield,Harrison Barnes and Bjelicia with picks… Rox get a lethal 3 point shooter in Hield who needs to be on a playoff team, Barnes whom has championship experience and is a bit of a do it all type of wing and a stretch four in Bjelicia…
Harden is acting like a baby so send him to a scrub team so he can cry…
Truly a solid idea……. Sac would probably just be happy to get the extra hype thats been gone the last decade
Harden needs to be humbled and dealt to a bad team. The longer he stays in Houston the more he’s going to affect the whole franchise. No other team is giving up a big name for harden. Might as well take a bunch of young talent like the Nets can offer while they can. Houston looks pretty solid with that first preseason game
As a Sixers fan, I’m not interested in having Harden on our team even if they can avoid putting Simmons in the deal. Harden’s style can’t win a championship. He is very similar to Allen Iverson in that he can take over games and make a team a contender, but he will always fall short of a championship. Hall of Fame player, not a champion.
Still say New Orleans has the best/ most capable package-
Ball Hayes Hart Reddick (expiring) and a slew of picks –
Gordon could be in it or a 3rd team for more picks as well for Hou-
Harden Zion Ingram Kira Adams starting 5 ,bench be dammned
Denver in a 3 teamer is intriguing as well and they got the assets to make it work while still keeping Harden Murray Joker in tact
Regardless I think a 3rd team will need to get involved as Hou is not going to be able to take on 4-5 guys back so the 3rd team makes it easier on everyone