The Houston Rocket’s guard James Harden is interested in reuniting with former teammate Kevin Durant. Both players were teammates back in OKC and went to the finals once. That OKC team roster had 3 future MVPs, namely Durant, Westbrook, and Harden. Not only will Harden play with Durant but he will also play with all-star point guard Kyrie Irving. The Brooklyn Nets will form a big 3 if this happens.
ESPN Sources with @RamonaShelburne and @ZachLowe_NBA: As Houston’s James Harden considers his future with franchise, one possible trade destination is rising to top of his list: Brooklyn. The idea of reuniting with Kevin Durant and joining Kyrie Irving is resonating with Harden.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 15, 2020
The reason Harden is considering switching teams is that Westbrook does not want to play with Harden and the Rockets. It is just the first year of Westbrook on the team and is now considering moving teams. The Houston Rockets gave away Chris Paul and future draft picks to get Westbrook which proved to be a wrong move in today’s perspective. The Oklahoma City Thunder was a rebuilding team and they took the Houston Rockets to a 7 unexpected game series.
The question is if the Rockets are willing to release their franchise player for other players. Harden has proven to bring the team to playoffs every time. Westbrook’s style of play ruins team chemistry. Both Harden and Westbrook need the ball in their hands to make a play. One of the reasons that the team is unsuccessful is due to Westbrook forcing 3s which is inefficient. Rockets should either release Westbrook or Harden. For my own pick, I would rather let Harden stay and let go of Westbrook.
Brooklyn Nets are also not a good fit for Harden in my own opinion, since the 3 stars are known to play Iso ball which means the ball needs to be in their hands. As quoted by Michael Jordan “Talent wins games but teamwork and intelligence win championships”. Although time will tell if the stars are willing to give their shine to their fellow teammate. If I were the Brooklyn Nets, I would retain my team which limits only 2 stars but with good supporting casts.
The other potential team for Harden is the Philadelphia 76ers but this is just rumors since the new manager of the 76ers has a history with James Harden. It could potentially be a trade of Ben Simmons and James Harden. The 76ers need a ball handler that can score effortlessly. Simmons is an elite point guard but lacks outside shooting which is not enough to win it all. Harden and Embiid duo might make a potential championship team. The supporting cast of Tobias Harris and Al Horford could also be a factor to improve the team’s starting five. If I were the 76ers, I would try to get Harden as much as possible to form an Embiid and Harden dynamic.
NBA season is about to start and players have only a short time to decide whether to stay or switch teams. Anthony Davis opted out of his contract and is now a free agent but everyone expects him to resign with the Lakers. The reigning seasons MVP, Giannis still hasn’t decided if he stays or switches team. The potential team to transfer might be Dallas Mavericks which could he could play with Luka Dončić.