There Is More Smoke Around James Harden Wanting Out Of Houston
Scott Halleran. Getty Images.
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What, you thought this rumor was going to die down after it broke earlier this past weekend?
No no no, that's not how this works. Not with trades officially being allowed today. If anything we're about to go up like 10 notches when it comes to trade rumors and you bet your ass James Harden is at the top of the list. That's what happens when you are an MVP and top 5ish talent in the league. You're going to get "reports" and "sources" coming from every angle.
Now the Houston Chronicle has entered the chat. They're reporting that Harden has told them that he wants out of Houston and wants to go to Brooklyn. It's not exactly a new idea that a team could try and create a narrative by reporting this to the media, and we have no idea where this info is coming from. Maybe it's someone on the Nets and they are just trying to put the pressure on the Rockets. Maybe it's Harden's camp. Maybe it's Durant's agent or something. The point is everything is on the table right now.
The fact still remains that the Rockets don't have to do a damn thing. It doesn't matter if Harden is trying to push his way to Brooklyn, the fact that he has a 2+1 with a $47M player option pretty much gives the Rockets all the leverage. It basically comes down to what report do you want to believe. The one where Harden is trying to get his ass to NYC, or this one
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It's not like that came from a random Twitter account. It was Shams! Is it possible Harden goes from being committed and "locked in" to demanding a trade in like two days? That feels like a stretch. Someone's definitely lying.
There's also this to consider
Who do we think that is? Maybe someone who would end up being traded to Houston during a rebuild, maybe Kyrie, who knows. Pretty sure it doesn't matter as long as Durant wants him.
Then there's the reality of a potential return. In very rare cases do you see a team that has to trade a superstar get a truly even return. The Harden situation is a little different since he's locked in for essentially 3 more years, so maybe a team would be willing to part with more since they know Harden isn't going anywhere. Teams out there could certainly beat the Nets offer of their good but not great players. The Sixers could offer Simmons or something. You don't find this sort of offensive talent
on the market very often, and for anyone who has actually watched Harden over these last few years, his defense has actually improved as well.
The point is, these Harden rumors and reports are not going away. They are only going to intensify. Nobody knows what's real, nobody knows what's bullshit, but what I do know is that we are now in the best part of the NBA offseason and shit is about to get pretty damn crazy over the next few days. Buckle up.