The NBA’s top tier of players is an elite class of basketball savants, physical specimens, and generational talents. There are barely a handful of players who belong to this exclusive class.
Despite the rapid player movement between teams, these truly special players rarely switch teams. It’s usually the second-tier stars that rotate around the association.
LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, and Kevin Durant are all premier superstars, and all have relocated in the past two years. You’ll notice a trend when these players switch teams: they chase big markets and championships. That typically leaves upwards of 80% of franchises high and dry. Three of the players I mentioned went to Hollywood, and the fourth went to New York.
So when an opportunity arises that would enable all thirty — well, 29 — teams to acquire one of these rare players, you would think the basketball world would engulf this story like a black hole does to light. But that does not appear to be what’s happening with James Harden.
Make no mistake about it: Harden is one of those game-changing, earth-bending, Woj-bombing players. He’s finished outside of the top-three in MVP voting once in the past six years. He’s a walking 30-point game and has secured a legacy as one of the game’s all-time bucket-getters. Harden’s only 31 years old and has two years left on his contract.
Harden’s playoff failures are the only blemish on his resume, aside from his infamous strip club exploits. While he has had more than his share of personal meltdowns, have you ever sat down and actually thought about who his Rockets teams have lost to in the playoffs? Well, here they are:
| 2015 | Golden State** |
| 2016 | Golden State* |
| 2017 | San Antonio |
| 2018 | Golden State** |
| 2019 | Golden State* |
| 2020 | L.A. Lakers** |
** won NBA Championship
That’s an absolute gauntlet. Don’t forget that Spurs team had peak-Kawhi Leonard before Zaza Pachulia took him out in the Western Conference Finals.
So did you expect the Rockets to win any of those series? No. Could they have? Sure. Houston created their share of opportunities, especially in 2018 and 2019 when Paul and Durant respectively got injured. But let’s not act like Harden was out here losing to the Jazz in the first round or blowing 3-1 leads to the Nuggets while bricking threes off the corner of the backboard. (Someone did those things, but it wasn’t Harden.)
Look, I am far from Harden’s biggest fan. His isolation-heavy style doesn’t intrigue me as a viewer. His taste in star teammates is questionable; I don’t see why anyone would prefer Russell Westbrook versus Chris Paul if the goal is to win a championship.
Yet, I am a bit puzzled by how the situation is unfolding regarding Harden’s trade request. When Anthony Davis asked out of New Orleans, basketball media catered every narrative for months around that specific story. And that was a situation in which Davis clearly wanted to play for one team and that one team had the assets to acquire him. The ending was all but inevitable.
The same is not true this time around. Harden wants to play in Brooklyn, but Caris LeVert is not a franchise centerpiece. The Nets do not have a good enough offer to actually trade for Harden. That would seemingly create a situation in which Harden is open to the highest bidder, especially considering the Rockets hold the leverage, but that doesn’t appear to be happening.
Only in the past few days has Harden expanded his list of destinations to include Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Miami. The Sixers and former-Rockets GM Daryl Morey certainly have a mutual interest. But the Bucks and Heat haven’t reciprocated. Why the hell not?
The Bucks have their own drama to deal handle with Giannis’ max-extension deadline quickly approaching. I don’t know… maybe acquiring an MVP instead of failing to sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic would convince him to sign on the dotted line.
The Heat are in the perfect situation to max a massive splash. Fresh off a surprising Finals appearance where they were completely overmatched, and loaded with hyped-up young players, Pat Riley should have Rafael Stone on speed dial. They should do whatever it takes to pair Harden with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. As encouraging as Tyler Herro’s bubble performance was, he’s not even close to an All-Star caliber player. Harden is a first-team All-Decade caliber player.
Those are just the teams on Harden’s list. The Rockets don’t actually have to trade Harden to anyone on that list. The Spurs sent Kawhi’s ass to Canada after all.
I can make an argument for each of the following teams to trade for Harden: Toronto, Boston, Denver, Portland, Atlanta, Memphis, and New Orleans. These franchises fall into one of two categories.
Toronto, Boston, Denver, and Portland are fringe contenders to varying degrees but are one James Harden away from being legit Finals contenders. Just imagine trying to defend Nikola Jokic and Harden, Damian Lillard and Harden, or Jayson Tatum and Harden. Or imagine Nick Nurse’s defensive scheme with Harden running the offense.
The Raptors’ acquisition of Kawhi Leonard in 2019 is all the evidence I need to state my case. I also have the Lakers’ acquisition of Anthony Davis, who helped them win a championship and then re-signed for five years, at my disposal.
The other three teams fall into the category of why not? The Pelicans case is the easiest to make: They have an ungodly amount of future draft picks and a good stable of young players with promise. The best-case scenario is one of those draft picks or players turns into a player half as good as Harden. So why not trade for Harden now?
The Pelicans could pair Zion Williamson with an MVP candidate and see what happens. If it goes completely awry, they can just flip Harden next summer. It’s not like he’s a depreciating asset.
That rationale can essentially be copy-and-pasted for Atlanta and Memphis. These teams have less draft capital at their disposal, but arguably more established talent. Memphis certainly does.
Indiana, Chicago, Sacramento all kinda fall into the why not? category and have the assets to get in the mix. Utah is another fringe contender, but they’re a step below the previously mentioned ones and I doubt they have the assets to acquire Harden.
There are probably even a few more teams that arguably should get involved. Here’s the thing, though: NBA general managers are cowards. Danny Ainge is the poster-child for “GMs who almost traded for a superstar”.
That’s why it’s difficult to imagine basically any of the teams I mentioned actually trading for Harden. Masai Ujiri in Toronto, who is no coward, and Pat Riley, who probably isn’t stupid enough to value Herro over Harden, might be the exceptions.
Most general managers or front office members are just basketball fans with the keys to an organization. Like us, they get obsessed with young talent and the allure of what they can become. They also have egos. They want everyone to know that they built the league’s next great team.
I’d rather be the guy who traded for James Harden.