The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly facing a big challenge if they want to bring in Houston Rockets superstar James Harden. According to The Atheltic’s Shams Charania, Rockets would only be interested in an offer from the Nets if it included either Kyrie Irving or Kevin Durant.
Harden asked to be traded earlier in the offseason and told the Rockets that his preferred destination is Brooklyn. Houston doesn’t seem to have a problem with that—as long as they get a superstar back.
This doesn’t seem like a realistic scenario, as Harden wants to go to the Nets so that he could play with both Irving and Durant. So swapping either of the All-Stars for him would probably make the 31-year-old guard less enthusiastic about the trade.
Recent reports also indicate that Harden decided to expand the list of the teams he would like to play for. These teams included the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, and Milwaukee Bucks on it. But him landing to one of these spots also isn’t very likely, since these teams would have a hard time meeting the package demands that the Rockets have: a young franchise star, talented players, and a bunch of picks.
The only realistic option are perhaps the 76ers, who could possibly include their young All-Star guard Ben Simmons in the deal. The Rockets would most certainly be willing to do this type of trade, but the question is whether Philly is willing to go this far in order to land Harden.
Any trade involving James Harden shouldn’t be expected anytime soon, since sources close to Houston Rockets have reported that the organization is willing to wait for the best deal they can get. Harden still has two years left on his deal, so Houston isn’t in a rush—even if they have a disgruntled star on the team.
