All-Star guard James Harden recently indicated to the Houston Rockets that he would be open to a trade to either the Philadelphia 76ers or other perceived NBA title contenders, according to a new ESPN report.
This represents a change from Harden’s initial focus in recent weeks of solely seeking a trade to the Brooklyn Nets.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon, the Sixers and Rockets have yet to have any substantive talks about a potential deal. While former Rockets GM Daryl Morey now leads the basketball operations department in Philadelphia, he’s said thus far that he wants to keep the All-Star duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid together.
If that’s the case, it would seem to be difficult for the 76ers to meet Houston’s asking price, according to ESPN.
Houston hasn’t wavered in what the Rockets consider a fair asking price for Harden: a package that includes a young franchise cornerstone and a bundle of first-round picks and/or talented players on rookie contracts, sources said.
James Harden has recently indicated to Rockets he would be open to a trade to Philadelphia or other contenders, sources tell @wojespn and me. No substantive talks with Sixers yet. Daryl Morey has been adamant he wants to keep his two young stars. https://t.co/k0C6xKxndX
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 8, 2020
It’s worth noting that Morey could certainly change his evaluation at a later date. Regardless, Harden expanding his list of satisfactory trade destinations should come as a welcome development to the Rockets.
For Houston to receive the assets that it desires, the team receiving Harden would likely want to feel secure that “The Beard” wants to play there and is open to staying beyond his current contract. At the moment, Harden can become a free agent after the NBA’s 2021-22 season.
Teams would be reluctant to give up the assets required to get a player of Harden’s caliber without confidence that he would be willing to remain long-term. Few contenders have ability to furnish Houston with the combination of assets that it’s seeking to consider dealing Harden. https://t.co/VQlSZCrUAa
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 8, 2020
That dynamic was problematic when Harden’s sole focus was Brooklyn, since the Nets don’t appear to have the high-level assets (assuming Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are unavailable) to make a deal worthwhile. But the presence of other teams in trade talks could change the dynamic, and it might also create a “bidding war” phenomenon in which the presence of other suitors forces each team to offer more aggressively.
With Harden under contract for at least two more seasons, the Rockets are under no pressure to move quickly. They’ve expressed an openness to keeping Harden to start the upcoming 2020-21 campaign, and perhaps into the 2021 offseason, depending on how the season goes in Houston and what the offers are around the league.
At some point, a trade seems likely — assuming Harden doesn’t budge from his desire to leave Houston. If that’s the case, having more teams in the bidding should boost the odds of Rockets GM Rafael Stone eventually getting what he needs to justify trading a perennial MVP finalist.
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This is one of the benefits to holding firm — Harden expanding his “list” increases the odds of someone offering the package that the #Rockets need.
Teams would be reluctant to do it if Harden was truly “Brooklyn or nothing,” similar to Dwight Howard in 2011. https://t.co/K8VzDGiepb
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) December 8, 2020