James Harden wants out of Houston and was initially focused on a trade to the Brooklyn Nets, but two sides have to tango in a trade and the Nets shouldn’t want to dance with Houston.
Harden is a top ten player in the NBA. Nobody is going to argue that–he is a three-time scoring champion and a former MVP. But, the bottom line is he isn’t a fit for the Nets.
7 Seconds or Less
Steve Nash was the focal point of the “7 seconds or less” era with the Phoenix Suns and he has brought his former coach, Mike D’Antoni, with him to be an assistant coach along with Amar’e Stoudemire.
In the Nets’ first regular-season game of the season, the offense definitely played at a fast pace and it was hard for the Warriors to keep up–Brooklyn scored 63 points in the first half.
Harden wouldn’t fit in with the offense as it is constructed right now. He is an iso-ball type player that has shown in his actions that he wants the ball in his hands. According to an ESPN report, some of Harden’s teammates have gotten irritated in the past when he simply refused to participate in the offense if a play isn’t designed for him.
When Chris Paul was handling the ball and he was the focal point of plays, sometimes Harden would barely step over the half-court line. Brooklyn’s offense is not centered around one player, but Harden wants the offense to revolve around him.
Depth is important
An important aspect of a potential Harden trade that many people are forgetting is what Brooklyn would have to give up. The Rockets are asking for the farm in a trade including first-round picks. In the Nets’ situation Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, and Jarrett Allen would probably be included in a deal.
That would destroy the team’s depth.
There’s a reason why the Nets were able to score 125 points in their season opener. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving weren’t on the floor the whole game, so there needs to be a group of players that can score off of the bench to allow Brooklyn to continue to put up points.
LeVert would start on just about any other team and is a very valuable piece to the Nets’ success this season. He showed a glimpse of what he’ll bring this season, scoring 20 points off of the bench against Golden State. Allen scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds in 20 minutes.
If Harden was traded to the Nets, they wouldn’t be the deepest team in the league any longer and would struggle to find production when the stars aren’t on the court–which would hurt them in the playoffs.
Thanks but no thanks
That is what General Manager Sean Marks should say to Rockets GM Rafael Stone. Harden is an amazing offensive talent and has shown he can carry a team to the playoffs.
But the Nets aren’t just trying to make the playoffs or even make it to the second round. They’re trying to win the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time in its team’s history. In order to do that, they need a great starting five and a great bench.
Getting Harden would give them a great starting five but not a great bench.
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