Scoring Champion on the Move?: Why the 76ers will likely land James Harden
Days before the start of NBA free agency and the NBA draft, news broke out that James Harden, the former MVP and last season's scoring champion, wanted to leave the Houston Rockets. The request came as a shock to fans, as Harden had never previously hinted that he was unhappy in Houston. However, the Rockets stagnated in a tough Western conference, unable to make it out of the second round this past year. Now, after another playoff exit, Harden has demanded to be traded. This came just days after it was reported that his all-star teammate Russell Westbrook was demanding a trade as well. For Harden, he could likely end up on these two teams: the Brooklyn Nets or Philadelphia 76ers.
Harden is rumored to be interested in playing for the Brooklyn Nets. He is apparently looking to team up with fellow all-star Kyrie Irving and former teammate Kevin Durant. A trade to Brooklyn wouldn’t be as likely as to Philadelphia, but because Harden hopes to go there, they will be in contention. However, the weak assets that Brooklyn possesses are what puts them behind the 76ers. In a recent call with BB&N students, the son of Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge, Cooper Ainge, mentioned that the Rockets called the Celtics looking to deal Harden. Ainge then said that the Rockets wanted Jayson Tatum, the Celtics young all-star, included in the deal or they weren’t interested. They wouldn’t even listen if the deal included Jaylen Brown, another promising young player, and a plethora of picks. This signals that the Rockets are looking for a transcendent young star in return for James Harden. The Brooklyn Nets do not possess that.
Brooklyn’s most prominent young player is Caris LeVert, who last season averaged an impressive 18.5 PPG on a solid 48% field-goal percentage. While these numbers are intriguing, in comparison to Brown, who the Rockets weren’t interested in, they aren’t as impressive. While Brown scored 20.7 PPG on 48% shooting, he is also the third option on the Celtics and has vast playoff experience in comparison to LeVert. LeVert was the first option on his team for the majority of the season and has never been to the playoffs. If the Rockets aren’t satisfied with Jaylen Brown, why would they want Caris LeVert?
This makes the most likely landing spot Philadelphia. The 76ers could offer Ben Simmons, their young all-star point guard, as the central component of the deal in combination with picks and other young players. Simmons, a 6’10 point guard, is a unique player with his size and incredible passing ability. He averaged eight assists last year, making him one of the best passers in the entire league, in addition to eight rebounds and 16 points. The Rockets would most likely rebuild after losing Harden and Westbrook, and having Simmons as their first building block would be an excellent start to a franchise which would lose two of the biggest superstars in the league.
As for Harden, the Rockets would be foolish to not trade him as soon as possible. Harden hasn’t seemed engaged with the Rockets throughout training camp, missing practices and partying late into the night. The longer they wait, the worse the offers for Harden may get as the league realizes the Rockets’ desperation.
