James Harden publicly displayed his frustration with the Houston Rockets following Tuesday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and it appears he may finally be successful in forcing a trade.
The Rockets are weighing offers for Harden from the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, and Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic report that Houston could be nearing a deal with one of the two teams.
The Rockets have been seeking a package of first-round picks and young talent in return for Harden. According to The Athletic, the Nets have offered all of their four future first-round picks and three future pick swaps in exchange for Harden. That would essentially be wagering their entire future to win now with Harden, which is risky considering Kyrie Irving has been away from the team and no one seems to know when he will return.
Philadelphia may be able to outbid the Nets if they are willing to include Ben Simmons. Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has a close relationship with Harden from the time Morey spent as general manager of the Rockets, but he has already shot down talk of trading Simmons. Of course, there would be little incentive for Morey to publicly state his willingness to trade one of his best assets.
The Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors have also expressed interest in Harden, The Athletic reports. There are several other teams that Harden is said to be open to playing for.
Harden has not openly confirmed that he wants a trade, but the comments he made on Tuesday night left little doubt. He’s unhappy with the direction of the 3-6 Rockets and clearly wants out. While it initially seemed like Houston wanted to work things about with the former MVP, that is unlikely to happen.
