Be prepared for a wild week in NBA ground. The trade market opened on Monday. The draft is on Wednesday. And the agency fee agency starts on Friday with players capable of officially signing their new teams on Sunday. Hack buckle up.
Rumors are already flying. Russell wants Westbrook out of Houston. Juru Holiday is available. The Warriors could potentially trade their No. 2 pick for La Lamarcus Eldridge. The Celtics are reportedly bargaining for their first three rounds of elections to advance to the lottery selection, which they may try to go on holiday to New Orleans. The Lakers have already agreed to pick their No. 28 this year and send Dennis Groder to OKC.
Things are happening behind the scenes.
The storms are quiet before the storm.
How stormy it would be to end up dealing with ESPN’s Adrian Wozniacki, Remona Shelburn and Zach Lowe, James Harden Brooklyn Net, who apparently topped Harden’s wish list. From ESPN:
As Houston Rockets star James Harden considers his uncertain future with the franchise, the Brooklyn Net is topping its list as a potential trading destination, sources told ESPN.
Sources said the idea of joining KP Durant and Kiri Irving in Brooklyn is buzzing with Harden, sources said.
Durant and Harden, former allies of Ura Klahoma City Thunder – have recently discussed the possibility, but trade between the two fronts.
Harden is increasingly worried about the Rockets’ ability to compete for the NBA title and is considering the possibility of forcing him to play elsewhere before his contract expires, sources said.
Nets is believed to be considering the viability of the deal for Harden, but it is unclear how far the franchise will go in delivering the assets Houston may need in return.
If the deal was really to be implemented, you would be hard pressed to find a more talented thrasher than Durant, Harden and Irving in NBA history. When it came to Josh Hart of the New Orleans Pelicans, it was his turn Tweeted: “I was already over 2020, but if James goes to Brooklyn, I can see 2022 ‘because he’s 2021.”
Heart OK? If Harden, Durant and Irving join, is the 2021 title race wrapped up? Again, his talent cannot be denied there. The question is how will they fit? You could argue that Durant-Steff Curry-Clay Thompson Thrissons represented almost the same talent, but because of Curry and Thompson’s ability to bounce the ball, they went along very cleaner.
Harden, Irving and Durant, all need to make the ball the best it can be, and really, this “there’s only one ball” drum will be knocked to the ground if this deal comes along. That may be true. Durant and Irving can get bored watching Hardon dribble for 10 seconds, and while Ir Latu is pounding Bing Ling. Meanwhile, Durant is a better scorer than these two.
Defense will be an issue. Harden has gotten better, but he and Irving remain defensive minus, and who knows if Durant would be a defensive racking ball whether he was in the Golden State instead of the Dreammond Green-type without a tag g-team partner or the overall system of the Golden State. The Nets have just hired Steve Nash and Mike de Antony. Not exactly a bad boys culture.
Injuries are a concern. Irving played only 20 games last season. Durant is coming with an Achilles tear.
Th depth will also be a problem. The Nets will almost certainly have to send Caris Lewert and Spencer Dinwiddy to get Harden, and will also include Jarrett Allen and the draft pick potential. The Nets will go with Miami’s LeBron-Bosch-Wade Circus 2010 blueprint when they top load the roster and the team will rely on out-of-the-box role players and pte min.
He led Miami to two titles and four finals, and Brooklyn will likely top the list of title hurdles. For all the potential issues we’ve just listed, the playoffs are about the demand for double teams that produce ball movement, and in its absence, there are as many players as possible who can make their own shots. Being able to make any shot these three guys want, anytime they want will be as easy as it will be fatal.
At least, that’s what Brooklyn will count on – that sharp scoring talent can surpass any and all other concerns. They may well be appropriate. Who knows if this will happen or not, but it seems very real. Rockets have become obese. They know it. Westbrook wants out. PJ Tucker is on the trade block. There is a blow This Is close to becoming, and when and if it happens, Harden will no longer be. It represents great value for a team trying to kickstart his next era.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn is playing for now. The deal makes a lot of sense, which is why it’s getting steam. Like I said, buckle. This will go wild in one way or another.
