Latest On James Harden, Rockets, Nets
While a pair of former All-Stars – Chris Paul and Jrue Holiday – were involved in trades agreed upon on Monday, another All-Star guard briefly stole NBA headlines. Word broke that Rockets superstar James Harden had turned down an extension offer that would have tacked on two years and a staggering $103MM to the three years left on his current deal. Harden is said to be “singularly focused” on being dealt to the Nets, per Monday’s reports.
According to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, Harden has indicated to the Rockets that he’s not interested in going anywhere except Brooklyn and that he believes the team should make the best deal it can with the Nets, “even if they do not consider it satisfactory.” That’s a bold demand for a player with at least two years left on his contract — even a player of Harden’s caliber.
As Adrian Wojnarowski reiterated this morning during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up (video link), the Rockets aren’t yet acting with urgency and feel like they can afford to take their time, given Harden’s contract situation. While the Rockets have been in contact with the Nets, no substantive discussions have taken place between the two teams yet, Woj adds.
Houston also hasn’t engaged with any other teams about Harden, since he appears to be solely interested in Brooklyn and the Rockets don’t want to move him to begin with, says Feigen.
Here’s more on the former MVP:
- Although the Nets have several intriguing assets, they don’t have one “knockout” piece – such as a young player with superstar potential or a future pick that would land at or near the top of the draft – to entice the Rockets, Wojnarowski notes. Feigen makes a similar point, suggesting that Brooklyn’s inability to offer a player who could be Harden’s “successor” has Houston resisting the idea of making a trade with the Nets.
- ESPN’s Zach Lowe takes a deep dive into the possibility of a trade between the Nets and Rockets and contends that a Brooklyn offer for Harden would probably have to look something like this: Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jarrett Allen, some small salary filler, this year’s No. 19 pick, two unprotected or lightly-protected future first-rounders, and two future pick swaps.
- As of Monday, the Rockets didn’t consider their relationship with Harden broken, according to Feigen, who said talks between the two sides have been “cordial.” The team just hasn’t yet been able to convince him to reconsider his position.
- The Rockets’ other former MVP, Russell Westbrook, remains a trade candidate as well, but nothing is close on that front. As Feigen explains, Houston hasn’t yet been able to find a deal for Westbrook that would bring a strong enough return to help convince Harden that the team can still contend for a title.
- The fact that the Rockets surrendered multiple draft picks and pick swaps in last year’s Westbrook acquisition has made the team hesitant to embark upon a rebuild, per Feigen. Houston also still believes it can be a factor in the Western Conference race if both Harden and Westbrook return and the right additions are made.
Pelicans To Trade Jrue Holiday To Bucks
NOVEMBER 17, 9:39am: ESPN’s Bobby Marks has the details on the picks headed to New Orleans in the trade, reporting (via Twitter) that in addition to this year’s No. 24 pick, the Bucks will also give up their unprotected first-rounders in 2025 and 2027. The Pelicans will have the right to swap first-rounders with Milwaukee in 2024 and 2026.
In order to ensure the 2025 and 2027 picks are freed up and don’t violate the Stepien rule, the Bucks are sending a future second-round pick to the Cavaliers, who were owed Milwaukee’s 2022 first-round pick. In exchange, the Cavs will agree to lift the top-10 protection on that first-rounder, ensuring it changes hands in ’22, per Marks (Twitter link).
Milwaukee will also receive the No. 60 pick in Wednesday’s draft as part of the deal, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN. That pick was originally the Bucks’ own, but was one of the second-rounders they sent to New Orleans in 2019 for Nikola Mirotic. Now they’ll have it back.
That pick will help the Bucks fill out their roster on the cheap, since a rookie drafted in the second round can likely to be signed to a minimum salary that will only count for $898,310 against the cap and tax.
There are conflicting reports on whether the Bucks will also receive the No. 42 pick in this year’s draft from New Orleans. Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported (via Twitter) that the pick is part of the deal, while Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link) has been told that Milwaukee is only receiving No. 60.
NOVEMBER 16, 10:33pm: The Bucks have reached a deal to acquire standout guard Jrue Holiday from the Pelicans, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that New Orleans will receive Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, and draft compensation in return.
That draft compensation is substantial — the Pelicans will receive three future first-round picks from Milwaukee, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). One of those three selections is this year’s No. 24 pick, tweets David Aldridge of The Athletic. New Orleans will also acquire a pair of future draft pick swaps in the deal, per Charania (Twitter link).
Holiday, 30, is coming off a 2019/20 season in which he averaged 19.1 PPG, 6.7 APG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.6 SPG with a shooting line of .455/.353/.709 in 61 games (34.7 MPG) for New Orleans. Although he didn’t earn a spot on one of this season’s All-Defensive teams, he has done so twice in the past and is widely considered one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders.
Acquiring Holiday is an all-in move for the Bucks and general manager Jon Horst, who are trying to convince two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign a super-max contract extension to remain with the team long-term. Antetokounmpo has repeatedly stated that he’s interesting in staying in Milwaukee as long as he believes the club is capable of winning a title.
[RELATED: Giannis Says He’s Not Looking To Leave Milwaukee]
Upgrading their backcourt by acquiring Holiday should make the Bucks – who have posted the league’s best regular season record in each of the last two seasons – an even more formidable title threat. However, the acquisition cost is significant, particularly given Holiday’s contract situation.
The 30-year-old’s deal will pay him $25.9MM in 2020/21 and includes a $26.8MM player option for ’21/22, meaning he can reach free agency a year from now. While Antetokounmpo and Holiday are both eligible to hit the open market and sign elsewhere in 2021, it sounds like the Bucks are betting heavily on their ability to lock up both players to new deals.
On that note, Marc Stein of The New York Times tweets that the last couple weeks have been “filled with chatter” about the possibility that Antetokounmpo will sign his super-max offer this offseason. Milwaukee’s willingness to give up so many future assets seems to reflect the team’s optimism, Stein observes.
Holiday’s age and contract situation prompted the Pelicans to explore the trade market in search of a deal this offseason, as president of basketball operations David Griffin looked to acquire pieces that better line up with the timeline of the club’s young core, led by Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
While the Pelicans were reportedly willing to hang onto Holiday if a favorable deal didn’t materialize, a return of three first-round picks and two pick swaps was too appealing to turn down. Having landed a substantial haul in last year’s Anthony Davis trade as well, New Orleans now has five extra first-round picks in future seasons, as well as three pick swaps.
It remains to be seen whether Bledsoe and Hill – both veterans in their 30s who probably aren’t part of the Pelicans’ long-term plans – will spend the season in New Orleans or if the team will look to flip one or both players in subsequent deals.
Bledsoe, a strong defender whose offensive limitations have hurt the Bucks in the last two postseasons, averaged 14.9 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 4.6 RPG on .475/.344/.790 shooting in 61 games (27.0 MPG) in 2019/20. He has three years and about $54MM left on his contract, though his 2022/23 salary ($19.4MM) is mostly non-guaranteed.
Hill, meanwhile, was a reliable rotation player in Milwaukee, averaging 9.4 PPG, 3.1 APG, and 3.0 RPG on .516/.460/.842 in 59 games (21.5 MPG) last season. The 34-year-old has a guaranteed $9.6MM salary in ’20/21 with a lightly guaranteed $10MM salary for ’21/22.
With Holiday off the market, teams like the Nuggets and Nets, who were linked to the veteran guard, will have to look elsewhere for a potential upgrade on the wing.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Atlantic Notes: Hayward, Knicks, Raptors, Draft
The Celtics will get some clarity on their offseason by 5:00 pm eastern time on Tuesday, according to Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald, who says that’s the deadline for Gordon Hayward to either exercise or pass on his $34.1MM player option for 2020/21.
A pair of league sources tell Murphy that Hayward still hadn’t finalized a decision as of Monday night. One source predicted Hayward would opt in, but the other suggested there would be plenty of interest for the Celtics forward if he becomes a free agent. “All I know is that there’s a lot of people who want him,” that source said.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- The Knicks reopened their Tarrytown practice facility on Monday, nearly a week after shutting it down due to three members of the organization testing positive for COVID-19, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Sources tell Berman that no players were among those who tested positive.
- The Raptors‘ chances of re-signing Fred VanVleet increased as a result of the Suns’ acquisition of Chris Paul, according to Dave Feschuk of The Toronto Star. Phoenix was considered one of the few teams that could make a run at VanVleet in free agency — Toronto still may have to contend with New York and Detroit, among others, however.
- ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Mike Schmitz, and Bobby Marks (Insider-only link) identify the Knicks, Celtics, Nets, and Sixers as four of the eight best candidates to make draft-night trades on Wednesday.
Cavs’ Andre Drummond To Exercise Player Option
Cavaliers center Andre Drummond will pick up his player option for 2020/21 to remain with the team rather than becoming a free agent, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times (via Twitter).
By exercising that option, Drummond will lock in his $28,751,774 salary for next season, a figure he was extremely unlikely to match or exceed on the open market. His deal will now expire in 2021, at which point he’ll become an unrestricted free agent. The opt-in also ensures the Cavs will operate as an over-the-cap team this fall, barring a major cost-cutting move.
Drummond, 27, was his usual reliable self in 2019/20, averaging 17.7 PPG to go along with a league-high 15.2 RPG in 57 games (33.0 MPG). It was the third consecutive season – and fourth in the last five – that he has led the NBA in rebounding. The big man also filled up the box score with 2.7 APG, 1.9 SPG, and 1.6 BPG.
Having spent the first seven-and-a-half years of his professional career in Detroit, Drummond was traded to Cleveland at last season’s deadline by the Pistons, who had shifted to rebuilding mode and wanted to open up cap space for this offseason. The expectation at the time of the trade was that Drummond would be opting in.
The Cavs had hoped to get a longer look down the stretch at how their frontcourt – which also features Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, and Larry Nance Jr. – meshed, but Drummond only appeared in eight games before the season went on hiatus as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. It remains to be seen how many of those big men will be back in Cleveland this season, as Thompson is a free agent and Drummond, Love, and Nance are all potential trade candidates.
For now though, it’s safe to assume Drummond will start the season as the Cavs’ starting center.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Trade Notes: Bucks, Bogdanovic, Holiday, Kings, Pelicans
The deals to acquire both Jrue Holiday and Bogdan Bogdanovic took practically every asset the Bucks had left, but the team now projects to have one of the NBA’s best starting lineups, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, who notes that Milwaukee’s new additions will join Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez in the starting five.
As Nehm writes, the Bucks’ aggressive roster overhaul should eliminate any doubt that the franchise is serious about getting Antetokounmpo the help he needs to win a title. However, the acquisitions will leave the club hard-capped and with little flexibility to fill out the rest of the roster.
Because Holiday has a series of likely and unlikely bonuses that count toward the hard cap, the Bucks will probably be limited to minimum-salary contracts as they look to fill out their roster and keep team salary below $138,928,000, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
By my rough calculations, Milwaukee would have about $27.3MM in room below the hard cap to fit in Bogdanovic’s starting salary and minimum-salary contracts for seven players. That would get the Bucks to 14 players, not counting two-ways, though they could carry just 13 for parts of the season in order to create a little more cap flexibility.
Here’s more on the two deals the Bucks agreed to on Monday night:
- While former Kings general manager Vlade Divac likely would’ve been willing to match offers in the $15-18MM range for Bogdanovic, it was never clear how enthusiastic new GM Monte McNair was about retaining the swingman, whose camp signaled a “willingness to play hardball” with Kings management, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
- The Pelicans‘ decision to move Holiday in a package that includes three first-round picks and a pair of pick swaps is the latest indication that the organization is prioritizing its long-term goals over shortcuts to contention, says Scott Kushner of NOLA.com. Even with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram on the brink of stardom, New Orleans is preaching patience and wants to build its roster through the draft, as Kushner explains.
- The Pelicans could theoretically flip Eric Bledsoe or George Hill to another team immediately after acquiring them, but they won’t be able to aggregate either player for salary-matching purposes until December 8, tweets Marks. Typically, there’s a two-month gap before a player can be aggregated, but that has been adjusted to account for the shortened offseason. For instance, the Thunder will be able to aggregate the players they acquired for Chris Paul as early as December 5, Marks notes (via Twitter).
- Speaking of Paul, the Bucks never engaged in any trade talks for the veteran point guard, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link).
Bucks To Acquire Bogdan Bogdanovic From Kings In Sign-And-Trade
UPDATE: This deal has fallen apart. Read the details here.
The Bucks will acquire restricted free agent swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic from the Kings in a sign-and-trade deal once free agency opens, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Sources tell Wojnarowski that Milwaukee will send Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson, and Ersan Ilyasova to Sacramento in the deal, while the Bucks will also receive forward Justin James from the Kings (Twitter links).
Multiple reports in recent weeks indicated that the Bucks had interest in Bogdanovic and would pursue him in a sign-and-trade scenario. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reiterated that interest tonight in the wake of Milwaukee’s agreement to acquire Jrue Holiday, tweeting that Bogdanovic was also being eyed by the Hawks.
Still, even in the wake of O’Connor’s report, we didn’t expect to learn so early in the week that the Kings and Bucks have already reached an agreement. Since Bogdanovic will technically be a free agent, he and Milwaukee aren’t supposed to have any contact until Friday, so the NBA likely won’t be thrilled that news of this deal has already leaked.
Bogdanovic enjoyed arguably the best season of his three-year NBA career in 2019/20, averaging 15.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 3.4 APG on .440/.372/.741 shooting in 61 contests (29.0 MPG). He earned a promotion to the starting lineup in January, displacing Buddy Hield, and helped lead the Kings to a 16-12 record during his 28 games as a starter.
Re-signing Bogdanovic was believed to be a priority for the Kings, so it’s a little surprising that the team is prepared to move him in a sign-and-trade deal. However, former general manager Vlade Divac seemed more committed to the 28-year-old Serbian than new GM Monte McNair.
The Kings’ willingness to move on from Bogdanovic is good news for the Bucks, who have reshaped their lineup with this move and the acquisition of Holiday, putting themselves in a great position to sell Giannis Antetokounmpo on signing a five-year, super-max contract extension this fall.
As for the Kings, they’re likely not viewing Ilyasova’s expiring $7MM contract as a major asset, and Wilson is coming off a disappointing third season. DiVincenzo is the headliner of their package, having averaged 9.2 PPG and 4.8 RPG on .455/.336/.733 in 66 games (23.0 MPG) last year for Milwaukee. He’s a strong perimeter defender who – at age 23 – still has plenty of room to improve and is under contract for two more years before reaching restricted free agency.
It’s not yet clear what Bogdanovic’s new contract with the Bucks will look like, but the deal must span at least three seasons, with a guaranteed first year. Based on Milwaukee’s outgoing salary, he could receive a starting salary of up to approximately $18MM, assuming Ilyasova’s salary becomes guaranteed. However, the Bucks will have to be conscious of the hard cap — as a result of acquiring a player via sign-and-trade, they’ll be unable to surpass a team salary of $138,928,000 in 2020/21.
The base year compensation rule will also apply to Bogdanovic’s new deal and will complicate salary-matching to some extent, though the inclusion of James should prevent it from becoming an issue for Sacramento.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blazers Expected To Pursue Millsap In Free Agency
The Trail Blazers had some success with an aging former All-Star forward last season. It appears they’ll be looking to sign another one in free agency.
Portland is expected to pursue Paul Millsap, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets. Millsap, 35, is an unrestricted free agent.
Millsap is highly respected for his toughness, leadership and shooting. He averaged 11.6 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 24.3 MPG and made a career-best 43.5% of his 3-point tries last season.
The Blazers are looking for another big body who can match up with power forwards like Anthony Davis, O’Connor notes.
Millsap could essentially replace Carmelo Anthony, who is also an unrestricted free agent. Anthony saw extensive action at both forward spots after Portland signed him last winter. There’s been no indication whether the Blazers are committed to trying to re-sign him.
With a healthy Zach Collins on the roster, Millsap would figure to have a second-unit role if he joined the Blazers. Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said in late September that he would “love” to see Millsap finish out his career in Denver.
Draft Notes: Wiseman, Mannion, Stewart, Bulls
James Wiseman has only formally worked out for the Warriors, who hold the No. 2 pick, and the Hornets, who sit at No. 3, he said today in a conference call, per Austin Kent of SlamOnline.com. Wiseman has had little to no contact with the Timberwolves, but said he’d be OK if Minnesota takes him, ESPN’s Nick Friedell relays. “Whatever team that picks me, I’m going to go in there, learn as much as possible, work my tail off, and just want to win,” he said.
We have more news on the draft:
- The Raptors and Jazz have worked Arizona freshman guard Nico Mannion, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. As previously reported, Mannion also visited with the Lakers. Mannion, who averaged 14.0 PPG and 5.3 APG as a freshman last season, is ranked No. 25 on ESPN’s Best Available list. The Jazz hold the No. 23 overall selection, while the Raptors have the No. 29 pick in the opening round.
- University of Washington center Isaiah Stewart is ranked No. 27 by ESPN and his college coach believes his former player is being overlooked, Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets. “I think he’s the best big man in the draft. … Every head to head matchup, it wasn’t even close,” Mike Hopkins said. “Go watch the film. It doesn’t lie.”
- With the Bulls allowing Kris Dunn to enter unrestricted free agency, it’s even more likely they’ll target a play-maker in the draft, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets. Chicago holds the No. 4 pick. The Bulls have also been exploring a trade for an experienced point guard, O’Connor adds.
- Josh Green worked out for the Jazz, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News reports. He previously visited the Nuggets. The Arizona shooting guard is rated No. 21 by ESPN.
All-Star Guard Chris Paul Traded To Suns
8:07pm: The trade is official, per a Suns press release.
12:11pm: The Suns and Thunder are finalizing an agreement on a trade that will send All-Star point guard Chris Paul from Oklahoma City to Phoenix, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Thunder will receive Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, and draft compensation in the deal. Wojnarowski adds that the Suns will also get Abdel Nader in the blockbuster swap (Twitter link).
The draft pick being sent from Phoenix to Oklahoma City in the trade is the Suns’ 2022 first-rounder, per Wojnarowski. Charania reports (via Twitter) that the pick will be top-12 protected. If it doesn’t change hands in 2022, it’ll be top-10 protected in 2023, top-eight protected in 2024, and unprotected in 2025.
The Suns, whose interest in Paul was first reported last week, are hoping that the veteran guard can help the team build upon its 8-0 showing during the Orlando restart and make the postseason in 2020/21. Paul, who will reunite with his former Pelicans coach Monty Williams, will join an intriguing core that includes star guard Devin Booker, former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton, and promising young wings Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges.
While bigger-market teams (like the Knicks) and stronger contenders (including the Bucks) were cited in recent weeks as potential suitors for CP3, the 35-year-old won’t object to joining the Suns. The Thunder worked with Paul and his reps at CAA to get him to a preferred destination, per Woj (Twitter link). A report last week suggested that Phoenix’s proximity to Los Angeles appealed to Paul, who has a home in the L.A. area.
Phoenix will complete the trade without using the No. 10 pick in this year’s draft, so the club will have the opportunity on Wednesday to add another young prospect to that group. The Suns also have a couple different directions they could go in free agency.
Remaining over the cap and attempting to bring back Dario Saric and Aron Baynes is one option for the organization — the other would be to let those free agents go to open up cap room, then using up that space before officially finalizing the deal for CP3. In that scenario, Phoenix would only have the $4.8MM room exception left over, whereas if the team remains over the cap, the mid-level ($9.3MM) and bi-annual ($3.6MM) could be in play.
Meanwhile, the Thunder appear to be shifting into full-fledged rebuilding mode after outperforming expectations in 2019/20. They’ve now reached deals to move both Paul and Dennis Schröder. Steven Adams remains a trade candidate, as are the veterans Oklahoma City will receive in the two agreed-upon trades (Rubio, Oubre, and Danny Green).
Having acquired a pair of first-round picks and two future pick swaps in last year’s Paul/Russell Westbrook trade, the Thunder were able to parlay CP3’s strong season (17.6 PPG, 6.7 APG, 5.0 RPG) into yet another first-round selection. The franchise now owns three 2022 first-rounders and holds multiple first-round picks every year through 2026, as Tommy Beer of Forbes details (via Twitter).
By taking on Paul’s contract, the Suns will be on the hook for his $41.4MM salary in 2020/21 and his $44.2MM player option for ’21/22. Nader has a minimum salary for ’20/21 which will remain non-guaranteed even after his team option is exercised to complete this trade.
As for the Thunder, they’ll take on Oubre’s expiring $14.4MM salary and will be on the hook for $34.8MM over two years for Rubio. Jerome, who has a $2.3MM cap charge in 2020/21, is in the second year of a rookie scale contract, while Lecque has a guaranteed $1.5MM salary for ’20/21 and a non-guaranteed $1.8MM for ’21/22.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
James Harden Seeking Trade, Turns Down Extension Offer
7:55pm: The Rockets offered Harden the maximum allowable extension — a two-year, $103MM deal that would start in 2023 — but he turned it down, according to Wojnarowski. There has been contact between Houston and Brooklyn, Harden’s desired destination, but there’s been no meaningful dialogue, Wojnarowski adds.
While Harden is seeking a trade, he appears “singularly focused” on Brooklyn as a landing spot, per Wojnarowski. Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston conveys a similar sentiment, tweeting that Harden only wants to be dealt to the Nets.
With at least two years still left on Harden’s contract, the Rockets can afford to “slow-play the process,” according to Wojnarowski, who says the team’s preference is to work through the issues with its star guard. That looks like a challenge at this point, but there’s also no indication that Houston believes the Nets could deliver the massive return of assets the Rockets would be seeking for Harden, writes Woj.
1:46pm: Harden wants to be on a contender elsewhere, and the Nets and Sixers are believed to be atop his wish list, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Crucially, Charania notes that the Rockets are “fully comfortable” keeping both Harden and Westbrook into the season. Both players still have two fully guaranteed years left on their contracts, with pricey player options for 2022/23.
10:38am: Superstar guard James Harden wants to move on from the Rockets, according to Brian Smith of The Houston Chronicle, who says the former MVP is pushing for a trade to Brooklyn. ESPN first reported on Sunday that Harden was intrigued by the possibility of being traded to the Nets.
The dissatisfaction of the Rockets’ two star guards has apparently escalated within the last week. On Wednesday, we heard that Harden and Russell Westbrook had expressed concerns about the team’s direction and that the idea of them requesting trades had become a “plausible eventual possibility.” Less than 24 hours later, word broke that Westbrook was hoping to be dealt. Now it sounds as if Harden feels the same way.
ESPN’s report on Sunday indicated that Houston hasn’t engaged in any trade talks with the Nets. However, the team is evaluating its options moving forward, sources tell Chris Mannix of SI.com.
The Rockets have repeatedly stated that they’re intent on contending in 2020/21 and that their plan is to “run it back” with Harden, as ESPN reported on Sunday. Rather than blowing up their roster, their goal is to reignite their core players’ belief in their championship chances, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
As Feigen explains, Houston’s decision-makers have no interest in starting over by “tearing things down to restock shelves with draft picks and prospects.” Trading Harden would only make sense in a full-scale rebuild, and since they’ve already traded away a pair of future first-round picks and agreed to two other pick swaps, that’s not a particularly appealing option for the franchise.
The Rockets still believe they can bring in help this offseason to rebuild Harden’s confidence in their title chances, per Feigen. It’s unclear if trading Westbrook would be part of that plan — so far, new general manager Rafael Stone is in the “listening” and “exploring” stage on Westbrook, rather than the “shopping” stage, says Feigen. Houston would ideally want win-now pieces in a Westbrook deal, rather than future assets. For what it’s worth though, the Westbrook market is said to be “relatively barren,” per ESPN.
If the Rockets do become open to the idea of moving Harden, the Nets would be a fascinating trade partner. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would almost certainly be off-limits, but Brooklyn could theoretically put together a package headlined by some combination of Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jarrett Allen, and Taurean Prince, with draft picks and pick swaps also in play.
ESPN reported on Sunday that it’s unclear how far the Nets would be willing to go in an offer for Harden, who has had conversations with Durant about the possibility of teaming up. A move to Brooklyn would also reunite Harden with former head coach Mike D’Antoni, who is now an assistant on Steve Nash‘s staff.
Of course, even if Brooklyn is Harden’s preferred destination, he’s still under contract through at least 2022, limiting his leverage to push for a deal to a specific team. If the Rockets convey a willingness to listen to offers for the 31-year-old, more clubs would presumably get involved, including Daryl Morey‘s new team, the Sixers.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.