ESPN host Stephen A. Smith said Wednesday that he views James Harden as an “icon,” adding that the 6-foot-5 guard shouldn’t be traded by the Houston Rockets under any circumstances.
On Wednesday’s First Take, Smith and Kellerman discussed the previous day’s comments by Houston owner Tilman Fertitta that the Rockets would not “blow up the roster” this offseason.
While the Rockets have an All-Star backcourt of Harden and Russell Westbrook, both are now 31 years old, and the team has exited in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs for two straight years. That age is beyond the usual NBA range in which internal growth often occurs, leading some to wonder if Houston might consider big changes.
Though Smith left the door open to potentially trading Westbrook, he firmly said that moving Harden is not an option. Among his comments:
The brother just finished averaging 34 [points per game]. He averaged 36 the year before. He’s a league MVP. He’s been a top-two candidate for MVP honors on at least three separate occasions. This brother is something. Offensively, he is a magician with that basketball. …
I’m not trading James Harden. I’m holding onto him for dear life, because the brother is too special. You’ve got to get the right coach, and it has to be a coach that could get Russell Westbrook’s personality to modify just a touch. Or, you’ve got to be willing to move [Westbrook] to get some other parts to pair with James Harden. Harden is an icon, to me.
Kellerman asked if Smith would hypothetically trade Harden for Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has won the NBA’s last two MVP awards. The 25-year-old forward is entering the last year of his current contract, which has led some to wonder whether the Bucks might consider moving him — if they’re told that he would not re-sign.
But even considering the age gap, Smith said that from a Houston perspective, he wouldn’t do it. The full segment can be watched below.
[lawrence-related id=39457,39438]